


Aqours' Bizarre Adventure: Ocean Sun

by Tyiinva



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!, ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 | JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Genre: Angst and Humor, Character Death, Crossover, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Friendship, Gen, Holy crap - Freeform, Maybe - Freeform, Minor Character Death, Multi, Ok everyone is sort of gay, Original Character(s), Other, Supernatural Elements, The character death tag is a lie, These Tags Are Fun, Violence, minor OCs - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-09-30 13:45:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 33,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17225138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tyiinva/pseuds/Tyiinva
Summary: Chika Takami, in her entire life, has never experienced desire. She had no interest in sports, studying, games, technology, etc. She lacked ambition and drive. That was until that fateful day when Chika witnessed a certain performance by a certain group. Inspired, Chika has resolved to become a school idol that shines the brightest no matter what. This story is not about positivity nor is this story about negativity. This story is about proving others wrong. This story is about shining as bright as the ocean sun.





	1. Sunshine Story Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys! Welp… I’m making something quite bizarre. I feel like I’ve seen too many LL x JoJo memes and now its affecting me. Alright, I got a few things to say real quick before we dive in. First, if a stand idea or OC seems like someone else’s or like a stand or character in Jojo, it is coincidental. The second is that, this is based in the LL universe and no Jojo characters are going to appear in it, although Jojo concepts and tendencies like stands and random fabulous posing (I’ll try and make them as descriptive as possible) will be present. The third is that this is centered around Aqours and that it might get a bit brutal (though I’ll try not to write out too many details ) and μ's won’t really be present much. The fourth is that I will be exaggerating various character traits of the characters to the point where they might seem like completely different people, but I promise that by the end they’ll start “acting” like themselves. The fifth is that this fanfic will not have a constant release date for each chapter. I’m still recovering from a two year writer’s block and working on chapters on a weekly schedule is not possible for me. So chapter releases will be erratic, I could update in three day or in three months so don’t expect them to be fixed xD. So yeah. Anyway, I’mma just start now xD.

**Chapter 1: Sunshine Story Part 1**

Numazu; the city of fish and the sea. It is an industrial city and a regional financial center with its port known as a major center of the Shizuoka prefecture’s fishery industry. Located at the northern end of the Izu Peninsula, it is a city inside within Shizuoka prefecture in the Chūbu region known for the Senbonhama seaside, being a gateway to Mt. Fuji, it's hot springs, the Numazu Imperial Villa Memorial Park, Toda, and it’s two aquariums: Mito Sea Paradise and Awashima Marine Park. Numazu currently has a population of 191,600 and a land area of 186.96 km^2. While the city of Numazu may be where most of the story takes place, it is not where the story begins.

  
The story begins in Tokyo, Japan with an orange haired girl chasing a runaway flyer. This girl’s name was Chika Takami. Chika had medium length, orange hair that barely touched her shoulders, and crimson red eyes. Beside her left ear was a braid that was tied with a yellow bow. On the top of her head was a small ahoge that no matter what she did, would not go away. Clipped on the right side of her hair was a small, green, clover-shaped hair clip. Chika was also 157 cm tall. She wore a white uniform shirt and a gray skirt with two white lines lining near the bottom edge. Attached to the shirt was a gray neckerchief with a red necktie tied with it. She also wore black knee-length stockings and a pair of black penny loafers. This was her school uniform that was issued by her all-girls school Uranohoshi Girls’ High School.

  
By the time the wind had stopped blowing the runaway flyer, it and the girl chasing it stopped in front of a large building, the Akiba Dome, that had a giant, digital billboard attached to the front of it. After picking up the flyer, Chika turned to leave but not without catching a glimpse of what was showing on the large billboard. On it, something was shining brilliantly. As if forced to look back by an unseeable force, Chika turned back around and stared right at the billboard.

  
The second her eyes landed on the giant billboard, her fate had been laid out in front of her. There, shining in an unimaginable glory, was a nine person group; performing a song through dance and voice. The nine girls each looked different yet normal and generic; people Chika would see on the street and not spare a second thought about, but something about them compelled Chika. Almost as if they were glowing lights and Chika was a bug mesmerized by them.

  
All of her life Chika was a person who lacked desire. She never had a desire to try new things and for the things she had already tried, seemed lackluster. Swimming to her was about lying in the water hoping to drown. Art was about painting colors over each other and counting how many strokes until they turned brown. Writing was about writing out random assortment of letters then looking up if they were actually words. Studying was about memorizing something, putting it on a test, then sleeping it out of her memory. Romance, wealth, hobbies, friends, occupations, all of these things that most people have a desire, she had none. They all seemed like a waste of time.

  
She did enjoy things and did have her own personal tastes and preferences but never felt a strong desire for those she had a positive preference for. Because of her lack of desire, she never had any long-lasting friends and was cast off as a weird “faker” whom nobody could trust and build a “meaningful” relationship with, not even her family. Being alone for most of her life, she had lots of time to herself. She usually spent this time loitering about. What she did was random and most times was just her having short bursts of thought about random things. At some point, you could say she became antisocial. After all, it was better to not say anything when people don’t even care.

  
These random things she would stumble upon and do led to her trying out many different things. Sports, art, acting, cooking, collecting, writing, socializing, all of them, left her bored and uninterested. She would never stay and do one thing and “devote” to them. It was as if she herself didn’t have a desire to care.

  
Chika, of course, realized how abnormal her lack of desire was. She knew that it was a flaw that would lead down into a rabbit hole of ruin. Maybe it was because of this thought of ruin that she had perhaps gained a bit of desire or rather, realized she did have desire the entire time, even if it was small. Maybe she did care. Why else would she go out of her way to try out different things? Maybe her desire was to find something that she would be willing to “devote” her time and energy to achieving.

  
On that billboard that glistened with radiance, Chika felt a small nagging. Maybe it was nothing. Something comparable to a feeling of hunger after not eating for a day. A moment had passed and then another, the nagging was growing stronger. No, it was not nothing. The nagging had grew into a feeling that tugged at Chika and told her to do something about it, to satisfy it. This was the first time she had ever experienced such an intense feeling, more intense than her desire for something to do in her life.

  
As the nine girls on screen continued to perform, their shine grew. Everything about each of them, the colors of their dresses, the echoes of their voices, the glistening of their sweat, their genuine expressions of happiness and energy, everything was shining. In the crowd, you could see a sea of little rectangles dancing as if motivated by the nine girls.

  
As Chika continued to view the performance, the intense feeling had lit a fire in her. For the first time in her life, she wanted something “conventional.” For the first time in her life, she wanted to try something. For the first time in her life, she wanted to “devote” to something. For the first time in her life, she wanted to achieve something.

  
As the performance ended, she had realized what she felt such a strong desire for. She wanted to shine. She wanted to shine just as bright- No. She wanted to shine **brighter** than those nine girls. And she was willing to do anything to achieve that shine.

\---

That night, holed up in her room, Chika looked up and researched the group that had introduced her to her desire. Remembering the name that appeared after the performance she had seen earlier that day, she typed it into the search engine. Her heart pounded with curiosity and an unexplainable anxiety.

  
“U’s…” she mumbled to herself as she typed it out. It was quite a weird name. It was only two letters and an apostrophe, but Chika decided it was at least somewhat unique and left it at that. Billions of results loaded before Chika; and through dozens of links and dozens of searches, her world had intertwined with the worlds of Love Live and idols.

  
As Chika waited for all of the songs she downloaded to finish, Chika stumbled upon a link to a news article. Chika would have normally passed the article but the headline caught her eye: “Police shuts down Love Live competition in hopes to end School Idol Murders.” What was this? What Chika found most odd about the article was not the murders but the Love Live competition being shut down. Earlier in Chika’s search, she stumbled upon the Love Live official website which had an announcement about how the Love Live competition was about to start in the summer of the current year. How could something that was shut down still be going on? Curious, Chika clicked the link.

  
The site loaded and Chika immediately located the date the article was made; three years ago, two years after μ's officially disbanded. Chika skimmed through the article picking out key phrases and sentences. “... one year since police discovered the first victim of the school idol murders… a reported forty-one people found dead since then all over Japan, all highschool girls from the ages of 15-18 with the exception of a few males who had been identified as major school idol fans… Last week police had appealed to have Love Live shut down in hopes that if school idols as a trend stopped, the murders would too… Two days ago on October thirteenth, Love Live sent an official announcement on the home page of their website that they will be shutting down... “

  
This was news to Chika. She had never heard of these “School Idol Murders” before. Though it wasn’t that much a surprise to Chika as she had lived as a modern-day hermit her entire life. No one wanted to talk to her after all and she didn’t want to talk to anyone either. The murders did surprise her though. Why did they occur? Why were all of the victims chosen for the murders connected to school idols? Perhaps it was some sick person’s fetish? Maybe they were all coincidental? Other than the mystery of the murder victims being related to school idols, Chika initial question of how Love Live was still left unanswered.

  
As Chika pondered about the article, she noticed her downloads were finished. Eager to put them on her phone, Chika decided that since the article was made three years ago, the police had captured the murderer or murderers and permitted Love Live to continue and left it at that. Chika would continue to delve into the world of school idols until she fell asleep against her will.

\---

Chika had woke up with beams of light stabbing her unprepared eyes and loud idol music blasting her sore ears. Squinting and removing the earphones from her ears, she got up with a slight ache from grogginess. It probably wasn’t a good idea for her to spend the entire night downloading everything μ's. She looked at her alarm clock to find she had forgot to set the alarm and that she was ten minutes past the time she was supposed to wake up. Any other person would probably freak out and rush through morning routines, but Chika laid back down on her bed wishing she was beetle hiding underground with the freedom of being able to sleep whenever it wants.

  
Catching herself right before she slipped back into sleep, she lifted her body, and like a rag doll given consciousness and movement, hobbled out of bed. With uneven eyes, Chika went about freshening up. As she became more presentable, she became more aware of her surroundings. Waking up, she remembered about her desire to shine. The feeling was not as magical as it was the day prior. She still felt motivated enough to pursue it but it was more “meh” to her now. Perhaps she was too tired to be excited and lively like the nine girls. The growing migraine behind her left eye didn’t help much either.

  
After freshening up and getting ready school, she headed to the living room of her home. On her way there, she glanced into the small crack provided by the slightly opened door leading into a room which had a restaurant-y kitchen feel to it and saw her dad there cooking and working. This was rare. Usually the door to the kitchen would be closed like a finishing touch to an insane asylum. The only times when the door was open was when food ordered by guests of her family ryokan was finished and needed to be delivered. The few times Chika was able to peek inside, she would only see her father’s back. She had never seen her dad’s face before, even when he was facing in her direction. It was always covered up by some sort of shadow. Chika never really questioned it or cared to know why her father had this strange phenomenon hanging over him, but then again, maybe it was something that happened to boys when they become fathers. For all Chika knew, that could actually be true. After all, she never saw anyone else’s father. But then why do boys gain a shadow over their face when they become dads? Chika paused. Did she just question it? It was almost like she wanted to know despite supposedly not caring.

  
Before Chika could pursue it any further, the voice of her older sister, Mito, called out to her. “You know… At this rate, you might as well become a NEET.” Chika looked at her sister in response. Mito sighed at the silence and walked briskly over and tugged at her arm to move. “You can eat some bread on the RUN to school. Oh and you better run too. School starts in fifteen minutes and unless you want to make up for repeated tardiness, which is not fun, I would run.”

  
After being dragged into the living room and having two slices of bread stuffed into her mouth, she was shoved out with the twentieth reminder to run from her sister. Chika lazily chewed the bread in her mouth as she glanced back at her family ryokan before walking down the road. She didn’t finish her third step before she was hit with something from the back of her head and her twenty-first reminder to “RUN!”

  
Chika squinted her eyes from her increased migraine and looked back at the irritated expression of her sister. Chika glanced down on the floor of what had been thrown at her to find a single tangerine. She picked it up with reluctance and looked at her sister. “Shima told me to give it to you.” In the background, Chika’s other older sister waved at her.

  
Chika’s left eye twitched. She didn’t like tangerines. Despite her dislike for tangerines, she turned around with the tangerine in hand. She didn’t want to bother with telling them that. After all, Mito would probably just tell her to eat it anyway and that its good for her. Despite the banshee screeching at her to run, Chika walked to school. Along the way, she threw the tangerine into a trash can.

\---

Along the way to school, whilst Chika was listening to music, she thought about what she should do to attain the shine that μ's had. Well from her research, most school idols seem to be in groups or at the very least, pairs. Chika groaned. She actually had to socialize and work with others. I guess in hindsight, it wasn’t that bad. Despite Chika being “antisocial” and not wanting to speak much, she wouldn’t have that much problem with actually socializing. She wasn’t nervous around people per say. Even so, it was a pain. What if those people decide they don’t really care or think she’s weird and just leave? What if no one joins? What if she didn’t exist? What if the reason why people seem to not care about her was actually just because she didn’t exist? In fact, what does it even mean to exist? Does it mean to shine? Speaking of which, those μ's people shone, but what does that really mean? Maybe this entire time, those people were just dancing on a really shiny stage illuminated by god knows how many stage lights. And this entire time, Chika was just mistaken about them being “shiny.” Maybe all Chika needed to do is be on a stage with lots of lights on her. To Chika, that was probably better than doing idol things with other people. In fact, Chika should abandon her dream of being an idol and just be a part of stage tech, where her true desire- In that instant, Chika was headbutted in the back of her head.

  
The headbutt wasn’t exactly hard nor was it painful but the surprise of being struck randomly made Chika yelp and jump like she was an amateur huntsman about to hunt his first rabbit that suddenly just jumped on his hand. In the middle of the jump, she knocked her earphones out of her ears and onto the floor. When Chika landed and turned to see who or what had struck her, she found a gray haired girl trying her hardest to not fall from the awkward position she and her bike were in.

Chika stared at the girl as her face slowly contorted to a more violent strain. The surprise of being struck vanished when Chika had seen the scene and her first instinct was to start massaging near her left eye where the migraine had grown stronger. Just when it started to die down too thanks to Chika’s peaceful walk. Chika ran the girl’s order of events in her head as she hypothesized what they were. The girl was probably riding her bike, decided that it was a good idea to shout at Chika who was listening to loud idol music to move instead of move herself, saw that Chika wasn’t moving, and braked right before impact which caused the girl to jut forward. To Chika, this person deserved to at least fall after a desperate attempt to not. Chika clicked her tongue as she picked her earphones off the dirty ground.

  
Still massaging her left eye, she watched as the person continued to struggle. At some point, the person noticed Chika looking at her and breathed out “Help. I need help. Please.” The girl put on an embarrassed and friendly smile. This made Chika consider helping her. Helping her to the ground with her foot. Chika decided against it though as the girl somehow inched her way to a more stable position. So much for asking for help. Disappointed, Chika turned and started walking away. She didn’t bother sticking around any longer, after all, there was no point to it.

  
Chika’s migraine didn’t get any better but she hoped it would on her way to school. “Um, are you ok?” Chika’s migraine got worse when those words registered in her brain. Maybe she should have taken Mito’s advice and ran to school. Chika turned to look at the girl whose blue eyes stared at Chika intently. In response to the person’s question, Chika flashed a small semi-smile and nodded.

 

“Oh no. You’re mad aren’t you?” The girl averted her eyes. Chika wanted to leave. “Mmmm, hey that’s a Uranohoshi uniform right? Are you late too? As an apology, I can let you ride on my bike there.”

  
Being the antisocial person that was totally capable of being social, Chika internally panicked and frantically shook her head no. Apparently when you stop interacting with people, you forget how to. With the shake of her head, Chika turned and started walking away. “Ah wait!” Chika glanced behind her as the girl started jogging up to Chika with her bike. Being the obviously rational person Chika is at judging what to do in situations that might harm her, Chika decided to start running away. Apparently when you are tired and have a migraine, running becomes a task.

  
To say the girl caught up to Chika in a moment is an understatement. Even with the handicap of running with the bike, Chika was like a slug. “Hey, sorry to keep bothering you but I just realized, aren’t you the person that helped me pass out those flyers yesterday?”

  
Chika stopped running. No wonder this girl is so persistent. She’s the same girl who asked her to pass out of the flyers randomly. “I didn’t get to say it yesterday since you left so quick but thanks for help. No one wanted to help me and instead kept saying I should just leave it to some random lonely girl. So I actually really appreciate it.”

  
Yesterday, randomly at the end of the school day, a girl approached Chika with a huge stack of flyers asking her to help her out. Chika declined but the girl kept bugging her. It had probably been a solid thirty minutes before Chika managed to escape but then one of the teachers stopped her and asked her to help the girl out. Chika of course declined that as well but then the teacher replied with “That was a rhetorical question Takami.” To say the girl was happy that Chika “relented” was as much of an understatement as the girl being just a “faster runner” than her. That day, Chika contemplated just throwing her share of the flyers in the trash and then going home, but for some reason, Chika decided to go through the effort of passing them out. Though Chika was only able to “pass out” the flyers by slapping them into people’s faces then jogging away.

  
“Oh I should introduce myself. I’m You Watanabe, second year. Someday I want to become the captain of ferry like my dad. Mmm, the reason I want to is probably because of how my dad gets to say “Yousoro!” all the time.” The girl gave a small salute with her introduction. Chika did not like where this was going. It was like the girl was trying to force Chika into being her friend like when fish get caught by fishermen and they grapple the fish and whisper to them, “You and me are gonna be the best of friends.” In fact, that was probably what she was actually trying to do. “What’s your name?” Scratch that, definitely trying to do.

  
Chika pressed her lips together and stared at You. Should she speak? Wait, what type of question is that? Speaking isn’t that much of a chore and in this situation, there is no possible, conceivable way she could screw up. Plus the girl seems like she cares so-

  
“I’m sorry.”

  
Eh.

 

“I should have realized. You’re mute right?”

  
Chika stopped walking as her migraine suddenly flared. Who comes to those type of conclusions this early? As Chika massaged near her left eye, You asked about it. Chika stopped massaging it the second she asked and tried to escape again by walking ahead of her. You was by her side once again before Chika could even blink. Chika expected the girl to bug her about her eye more and the mute thing but instead pulled out her phone.

  
“Oh crap! I’m actually gonna be really late. Ugh, I knew I shouldn’t have gone for an extra lap up the mountain this morning!” Chika’s mind was stuck on the fact she runs up a mountain in the mornings. Wait, but if she runs, why does she just have a bike with her? “Hey hop on.” Chika looked up at her to see that she was about ready to start pedaling. “Don’t worry about me. I can still go really, really fast even with two people.”

  
Chika started to shake her head no but upon seeing You start to open her mouth again, Chika relented. At this point, it’s better to let You carry them to school in less time than having to put up with You trying to talk to her while walking. Chika did not know what type of performance enhancing drugs You was on, but they had arrived at the school a full minute before class started.

  
Chika sighed to herself when You entered into the same classroom as Chika. Chika never noticed before but apparently they were in the same class. When they entered the classroom, You glanced back at Chika and with a “It’s nice to meet you.” headed toward her seat. Despite how annoying You was, to Chika, she seemed like a good person. Not once did it seem like You was judging her and, as much as she didn’t want to admit it, Chika appreciated You’s tenacity.

  
Chika didn’t know why she did it. Maybe it was because You didn’t judge her. Maybe it was because Chika felt a bit guilty. Maybe it was because of fate. Maybe it was because You proved Chika exists. But as You turned to walk toward her desk, Chika spoke her first words for the day. “Chika Takami.”

  
You turned her head back in response and after a moment, smiled. “It’s nice to meet you Chika Takami.” After that, she sat down at her desk.

  
Chika pressed her lips together and looked down at the floor as she walked toward her own desk. The bell rang as Chika sat down and a minute later, the day’s lecture began. As Chika sat there, doodling in her notebook, a thought came to her. You never scolded her for not moving out of the way. Despite herself, Chika smiled as she doodled idol things. Her migraine had also gotten better.

\---

Chika didn’t notice the bell ringing as she doodled microphones on a piece of notebook paper. Chika did notice, however, that someone pulled up a chair in front of her desk and sat down with a lunch box. Chika could feel her migraine coming back but it vanished when Chika saw who it was.

  
“Ohaiyousoro!” You greeted with a salute. Chika pressed her lips together and stared in greeting. “And here I thought you were gonna start talking more…” You sank her head to the desk dramatically.  
Chika did not know whether she should take offense. “Anyway, it’s lunch!” Chika showed no reaction as You clapped and opened her lunch box. Without mercy, the food was devoured before Chika’s eyes. It was then that it occured to Chika that her sister forgot to give make her lunch. Gloom overtook Chika’s entire being as she watched You happily consume the pieces of precious nourishment.  
You stopped her pillage when she noticed that Chika was watching her with dying hope. “Um, did you perhaps forget your lunch?” Chika nodded. You chuckled at the response and looked down at her own lunch to see what was left. “If you want, you can have the rest of mine.” Chika’s entire demeanor brightened as she reached for the lunch box with wriggling fingers. You held her hands up and leaned back against her chair as Chika creepily stole the lunch box before commencing armageddon.

  
You watched as Chika destroyed her lunch box with a smile. “You’re gonna choke if you eat that fast.” Chika seemed to ignore You but was chewing the food more before swallowing. When Chika finished the lunch, she clapped her hands together and did a small bow before You. You took the lunch box and was going to put it away until she noticed that the two tangerines packed within were left uneaten. “Hey do you want these?” Chika glanced at You before glancing at the tangerines and shook her head.

  
“Eh? Why not?” Chika shrugged. “Did you save them for me?” Chika paused before nodding. It wasn’t the actual reason why but if it will stop You’s questioning, it was the actual reason now. “Mmm, thanks for the consideration but you can have them. I don’t want you to die from deprivation of food during class.”

  
Chika stared at You as she smiled sweetly. It was like You could read Chika’s mind but decided to feign ignorance to mess with her. Chika raised her hands and shook her head with a half-smile. “It’s fine. I had big breakfast.” Chika leaned back and continued to shake her head. You put the lunch box down and put on a pout. “Wait. Do you not like tangerines?”

  
Chika paused before pressing her lips together and nodding. “Eh?” Chika stared at You who had her mouth slightly open. “What? How could you not like tangerines? They are like the greatest thing ever!”

  
Chika leaned back further as You bent over the desk to close the distance between the two of them. Too close. She’s too close. Why is she so close? Chika did not know. Was this the work of the tangerines? You stayed where she was as Chika leaned on the verge of tipping over her chair. “You’re eating at least one of these.” Chika shook her head in refusal. You inched forward even more causing Chika to tip her chair back even more. Now it was approaching the area of “falling like an idiot.” However You continued to inch forward and it was here that Chika relented by nodding her head furiously. You smirked and leaned back, allowing Chika her space.

  
“Here.” You held a tangerine out to Chika. Chika scowled as she accepted the lone tangerine. It was like Chika was about to do something she shouldn’t like robbing a bank in broad daylight. Chika didn’t understand You’s devotion to the tangerines. They were gross, and they make your teeth and tongue hurt. Plus the stench of the fruit doesn’t come off your hands even if you wash them for an hour.

  
Chika glanced up at You who was watching intently. It seemed Chika had no choice. Chika slowly placed her thumbs on the tangerine and was slowly pushing in when, as if compelled by an invisible force, Chika looked toward the classroom entrance. Just as Chika did, a girl with long, red hair entered. There was nothing special about the girl but she was the perfect target for Chika’s distraction plan. Chika would continue to stare at the girl until You noticed and asked if she was curious about her. Chika nodded and as You talked about the scarce info she had about the girl, Chika stealthily lowered her hand with the tangerine and rolled it on the floor away from her.

  
“... She came in this morning as a transfer student. I think she’s from Tokyo. Oh and her name’s Riko Sakurauchi.” You turned her head to look at Chika to see if she was paying attention. Chika smiled and nodded. “Anyway, the tangerine.” Chika opened her mouth and showed her empty hands before pointing at her mouth. You simply stared at Chika who was cocking her eyebrows as she pointed at her mouth. Suddenly You stood and walked toward the direction Chika threw the tangerine and picked it up. You slowly turned to look at Chika with tangerine in hand. Chika lowered her head as a cold sweat made its way from the top of her temple down her cheek.

  
Chika could feel the menacing aura radiating from You as she approached. At this rate, You might shove it down Chika’s throat, skin and all. As Chika felt You’s presence inches away, Chika closed her eyes as a final prayer of how she was done in via betrayal. Then, as if fate had intervened, the bell rung signifying the end of lunch and the resumption of class. Chika’s head shot up from her desk as she realized her newfound safety. You clicked her tongue. “Saved by the bell.”

  
Chika watched as You put the tangerine in the lunch box and sealed it with a plastic lid before leaving for her desk. Chika breathed a sigh of relief having survived her first major ordeal of life. As the teacher entered and everyone settled for the lecture of the day, Chika felt a stare on her. Chika glanced toward the general direction and her eyes met the gaze of the red-haired girl. A moment passed before the girl’s eyes shifted toward other students. Chika assumed that since she was a transfer, she was just observing how students acted in her new school. Giving it no further thought, Chika took out a new piece of notebook paper and started to doodle.

\---

After school, Chika was the first one out of the classroom. Throughout the school day, Chika had figured that since school idols usually go in groups, she would try and get people to join her. It was perfect. Chika had created a little sign using a pen and with a white sheet of paper attached to it that said “Be a school idol! Join the club!” Yes, Chika had decided that making the group a club would be the easiest way to attain the attention of curious students as well as organize them properly. Plus clubs get their own room which is great for practice sessions. It was totally not because the number one school idol group μ's was also a club. The sign itself was also made to advertise the club for Chika as well. After all if Chika spoke, people would probably not want to join the club as much but if it was a sign advertising it, people might be interested. The sign itself was also the pinnacle of persuasion. Who wouldn’t be interested when seeing this masterpiece?

  
As students started flooding out into the halls, Chika held her glorious sign for all to see with full confidence. In fact, the sign made Chika so confident that she started smiling at people and eyebrowing toward the sign. As Chika made her way through the school, people stopped to stare at the sign. Some people stared at the sign in mild confusion while others laughed at it. The very few people that seemed interested due to the sign would go to approach Chika but as they approached, they would suddenly stop and then run away. This confused Chika. Maybe they were nervous about it and then bailed last second. Yeah that was probably it.

  
As Chika exited the school, sign held high, a group of girls saw it and then burst out laughing. Chika glared at them as she internally called them fools for not appreciating the masterpiece that was her sign. At that moment, a strong gust of wind blew through causing Chika to hug her sign to prevent it from flying away. When the wind blew by, Chika stopped shielding her sign and as she returned the sign back to the air, she saw them. Two girls, one with long golden hair and another with red. Chika did not know why, but she felt the urge to approach them. Without thinking, she marched over to them with a smile plastered on her face. The pair noticed her as she approached. The red haired one immediately freaked out and hid behind the golden haired girl. Goldie glanced at her friend before standing her ground before Chika.

  
When Chika was within arm’s distance, before any of the two girls could say a word, she shoved the sign in front of them. The redhead screeched at the sudden movement. “H-H-Hanamaru! What is she doing? A-Are you ok?”

  
The goldie, Hanamaru, jerked back when Chika shoved the sign in their direction. “I don’t know Ruby. She has this like makeshift fan thing, zura. I-I’ve never seen anything as horrifying before, not even in books, zura.”

  
“Hanamaru, we should run! She might be a predator. Her facial expression is scary.” Chika was taken aback. Did the redhead just say her facial expression was scary? That can’t be, she’s smiling. Confidently! Who thinks a confident smile is scary? Granted, this was the first time Chika wore a confident smile before but…

  
“S-Stay back, zura!” Hanamaru backed up as she shouted. “I’m not afraid of a creep like you!” There was no way. They actually thought Chika was a creep. All of the confidence built up inside Chika dispersed as fast as her “smile.” Chika let go of the sign as her shoulders slumped to it’s usually position. What was she getting all confident for? Some stupid sign with stupid crude drawings on it. How was that gonna recruit anybody? It was probably as weird as she was: devoid of care and desire.

  
Hanamaru furrowed her eyebrows when she saw Chika take on the posture of someone without drive. It was almost enough to make her relax and even ask what was wrong. Almost. If only Chika didn’t decide to start stomping on the sign until it was buried in the dirt. To see her suddenly do that without mercy was enough to make Hanamaru start running while dragging Ruby along. Chika noticed them take off and muttered an “Ah” while reaching a hand out to them. As they got further away from her, Chika could feel her motivation leave her as well. Being an idol is hard.

  
At that instant, from the tree next to Chika, a dark blue haired girl fell out of it. She landed on her feet hard but despite that, she still stood. Chika only saw the fall from her peripherals, but she could feel the pain in her legs. The tree girl stood there as if her body didn’t know whether it wanted to cry or pass out. Instead, the girl noticed Chika staring at her and gasped before shouting out something intelligible except the words “fallen angel” and “Yoshiko” and “Yohane.” Then she ran away… or at least tried to until she fell on her face into a pile of mud. Chika decided then that maybe her life wasn’t that bad.

  
“Ohaiyousoro!” Chika turned to face the voice. There stood You saluting with a smile. In reaction, Chika pressed her lips together and timidly saluted back. You frowned a bit. “You’re supposed to say “Ohaiyousoro” back. Ok at least “Yousoro.” Chika stared with pressed lips in response.

  
“You really don’t talk much huh? Mmm, well that’s fine. There’s probably a reason why you don’t. Anyway, what’re you doing? I saw you rush out of the classroom with some object with a scowl.” Chika averted her eyes in embarrassment. Apparently her sign wasn’t even a sign and her smile was a scowl. You cocked her head to the side to match where Chika’s gaze was going and landed on the sign which was half-buried in dirt. “What’s with the burial?”

  
Chika shrugged in hopes that perhaps You can read minds and know that that was her first method of recruiting members for her school idol club. You shook her head with a clear expression of confusion and doubt. It was here Chika learned that communication was hard without speaking.

  
“Alright then. How about I just dig it out?” You bent down near the sign and started digging it up before Chika belly flopped onto the sign. You jerked back in response to the sudden movement. Chika did not want You to see her failure. “Um... Are you ok?” Chika turned red as she realized what she had just done. It was then that it occurred to Chika it was better to have let her see the sign as oppose to hide it via belly flop. With pressed lips, Chika slowly rolled off the sign. “Thanks… I guess…” Chika’s migraine started to hurt again.

  
Chika laid on the ground as You recovered the sign which had broken back into paper and pen. You viewed the viewed the pen briefly before looking at the paper. “Oh” was the only thing spoken in response. Chika had no idea what to think of the response. Does she think it was weird that Chika wanted to start a school idol club? What would happen if she did? Maybe You will start ignoring her. Maybe You will hate her. Maybe You will-

  
“Oh I’ve heard of school idols. They’re like high school students who sing and dance like idols right? There are even competitions too I think. I didn’t know you were interested in them. Mmm, but why a club?” You didn’t think it was weird. Huzzah! Victory! Wait, she asked a question.

  
Before Chika could think about it further, she blurted out “Cause U’s started out as a club.”

  
“U’s? Who’s that?” Chika wanted to die. Not only did Chika reveal the wrong reason but she also spoke. Chika squinted as her migraine grew. “I guess I can just look them up later. Anyway, a club is a good idea. It has only been a few weeks since school started so some first years might still be looking for a club to join.”

  
“Eh.” Chika looked up at You who was looking at her over the sheet of paper. Chika’s migraine started to fade. She understood. She actually understood. What is she? An angel?

  
“Oh yeah this was a sign right? I guess it's a good improvisation for you not speaking a lot. The sign itself is pretty cute too. I like the little microphones and dresses.” You’s an angel, a complete and utter angel. It was the only explanation. It all made sense now; why You was so persistent in talking to Chika, why she didn’t judge her, why she generously offered her lunch to the dying Chika during lunch, or how she was intelligent enough to understand her works of art. “Earlier I saw you approach some first years. Was it because you wanted to recruit them? They were cute enough to be idols.”  
What a time it was to be alive! First Chika found something she wanted to do and now she has an angel watching over her, figuratively and literally. “Oh but…” Chika’s migraine blew up in intensity. Mass criticism incoming! She’s going to say how the message should be more rounded and how I should’ve bought a real sign or how Chika can’t do it because she can barely speak or how Chika was super unathletic or-

  
“Did you ask the student council president if you could make the club?” Still an angel! Though… Chika completely forgot about having approval. Chika locked eyes with You with pressed lips. “I guess not huh.” You breathed out a chuckle. “It’s probably a good idea to see if they’ll let you start one first before you start recruiting.”

  
Chika nodded in reluctant agreement. What was she gonna do? Chika had only seen the student council president a few times in the halls or during assemblies and each time, she had this aura about her that intimidated everyone around her including Chika. Chika doubted that such an intense person would accept communication through notes especially when talking about establishing a school idol club. Talking was out of the question, the president would probably decline her faster than if Chika tried notes considering how other people reacted. Chika didn’t know sign language and she doubted the president did too. What was she gonna do?

  
As Chika filled with dread, her angel stepped in. “I don’t have anything to do right now and since you don’t like to talk much, I can help you ask for permission.”

  
Chika didn’t realize what she had done until after she was on her feet and grasping You’s hands for dear life. Chika felt saved by the holy entity in front of her. You jumped slightly at the sudden movement but smiled when she noticed Chika’s eyes sparkling. “Ok let’s go before the president leaves. Oh, and here’s your pen and sign paper.” You handed Chika the items as they turned toward the school. Chika quickly let go of You’s hands before timidly taking the items as she turned red. Chika was doing things that made her want to die. Though, as the pair walked toward the student council president’s room, Chika’s migraine disappeared.

  
“Oh yeah. About those tangerines…” Chika’s migraine returned full force as she walked ahead of You.

\---

Maybe it was fate that brought Chika and You together. After all, it was weird that Chika randomly met someone who didn’t judge her for being silent especially the day right after Chika had discovered what she had wanted to do. If Chika recalled correctly, she was also on the verge of convincing herself to give up her dream and probably would have if You hadn’t randomly appeared on her bike behind her. Chika looked at You. It was the first time Chika was able to silently observe her. Even in class, Chika was too absorbed in not falling asleep and doodling. You had an aura to her that subtly suggested confidence and positivity. The type of aura you would see from someone who knew what they wanted to do and who they were. It really was weird. Why would someone like that continue to associate with someone like Chika who until the day before had no clear ambition and decided it was better not to talk?

 

“I think we take a right.” You pointed to the right of the small intersection. Chika followed as You turned. You glanced back behind her at Chika. “So why do you want to be a school idol?”

  
Chika opened her mouth to reply but stopped herself. That was close. She stared at You who made a small mouth gesture. Did she just click her tongue? Wait. Was she continuously asking Chika questions not because she kept forgetting Chika doesn’t like to speak but to subtly make her open up? What type of sorcery was this? Was You manipulating her? Well even if she was, it wasn’t that big of a deal since it was done with good intentions but… What if she’s actually a part of a group that’s specifically targeting Chika? It would make sense, after all, why would someone like You associate with Chika? Plus You is supposedly an angel but looks so human. Nah, that’s ridiculous. That’s only fueling Chika’s selfishness and pride. You probably wants to honestly be friends with Chika. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea for Chika to let her. You does seem different from other people and if she wanted to judge Chika she already would have, but then again You doesn’t know about Chika’s lack of desire. Would You even care? If You is ok with being friends with someone who’s awkward and doesn’t like to talk, would she even care if Chika was a “faker?” Would she even care if Chika might “betray” her? You does seem to trust Chika and not think of her as anything less than others. Maybe Chika can trust her too. It occured to Chika then that maybe the loneliness had caught up to her and made her desperate. Chika didn’t care.

  
“I… um… Yesterday when I was helping you pass out flyers in Tokyo and I saw this school idol group called U’s on one of those digital billboard screens.” Chika muttered barely louder than a deep breath from an exhausted man. Chika looked at You for a reaction and saw that You had furrowed her brows in surprise, though she seemed to be trying to keep her face straight. Despite the shivers dancing on Chika’s skin threatening her to stop before they make her stutter, Chika continued.

  
“They were dancing and singing pretty much like regular idols do and when I think about it… There really wasn’t anything that special about them. Their singing was meh and the song was just some cheesy song about hopes and dreams and their dance was also really meh. The people themselves were al-also-” Chika wanted to die. She was actually doing well and then she stuttered. Chika cursed the shivers as she shot her eyes to the floor. She couldn’t do it. It was impossible. You was definitely gonna laugh. Chika chuckled in her head. So much for “trusting” You.

  
“The people themselves were also what?” Chika met You’s gaze who’s facial expression was one of openness and concentration. She wasn’t laughing. Chika slapped herself mentally before opening her mouth.

  
“They were also pretty generic... like the type of people you see on the street while out shopping on a Sunday.”

  
“I see.”

  
“A-Ah but…” Chika stopped. Was she going to say it? Was she about to entrust one of her deeper reasons for something to someone? Chika continued to stare at You for a couple of seconds. Her expression really was that of someone who was open. Despite that though, Chika wasn’t sure. She felt scared. It wasn’t even that deep a reason to a not so deep question but… Chika felt scared. It was unexplainable and irrational, but it drilled into Chika the more she asked herself if she should trust You. Chika pressed her lips together.

  
You turned her head away from Chika upon seeing her press her lips together. “You don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to. I guess I have been a bit pushy huh? Sorry. It’s fine if you don’t want to. I can kind of get why. People aren’t predictable and no matter what you do, they don’t see things your way. It doesn’t help they seem to want to disprove everything that contradicts their opinions too. It’s like people don’t- can’t change.”

  
Chika stared at You’s back as they walked. You was spot on. People are ugly; they only think about themselves. Anything that seems just a little out of place is weird and must be purged. In a way, it was like Chika could predict them. Every time Chika spoke about how something like basketball was terrible and boring, people assume she was some sort of freak who’s blind to everything “righteous” in the world. Every time Chika spoke about how a famous book was mediocre, people thought she had bad tastes and needed to be put in a psychiatric hospital. Every time Chika spoke of her lack of desire, people label her as something else. A different race. A different species. A different life form. A different entity. Chika hated it. Why couldn’t she do things differently? Why couldn’t she like things differently? Why couldn’t she dislike things differently? It was like Chika couldn’t even explain herself to them. No matter how much she wanted to, they wouldn’t listen and they wouldn’t care.  
An image flashed in Chika’s mind then. One single picture. It was of the nine girls on the billboard, performing while the crowd was waving in sync. Shining despite how normal and insignificant they were. It wasn’t the stage lights, it wasn’t their colorful clothes, it wasn’t even the sea of lightsticks in the crowd that made them shine. It was like their bodies were shining. No wait, it was like the entire stage, crowd included, was shining in a light that wasn’t natural or artificial.

  
“It was like there was no negativity.” It was the best way Chika could describe it. The light that engulfed the entire room that enticed even the girl with no desire. You didn’t respond and kept walking. “Not from them, not from the crowd, not from anywhere in the world. There was no loss of will, sadness, anger, frustration. It was like there was no such thing as ugliness, discrimination, loss, suffering, weird, normal… That no matter what, everything was ok and will be ok.”

  
Chika hadn’t realized she had spoken her thoughts out loud until after her last sentence. Even then, Chika wasn’t finished. One last thought was racing through her mind. “You don’t get it.” You stopped in her tracks causing Chika to as well. “People are ugly. They only care about themselves and purge everything that contradicts them. But they can change. Those mediocre girls on that billboard, shined. They shined so strongly that it proved me wrong. If I can be proved wrong, then I know other people can be too. And, I want to be like them because I want to show others that shine. I want to prove others wrong.”

  
Silence filled the hall as they stood there. Chika stared at You as soon as she was done. You made no movements which made Chika start to regret saying anything. The silence didn’t help. “How many people have you recruited?”

  
“Eh?”

  
“How many people have you recruited? For your group.”

  
“Z-Zero.”

  
You paused again before suddenly spinning around with a giant smile. Chika jumped a bit when she saw it. Maybe she was apart of a group targeting Chika and now she was gonna start laughing at her for her stupid explanation. That thought was immediately shattered. “Congrats Chika Takami. I wasn’t looking at you but I could feel it. At least to some extent. The shine I mean. I’m not exactly the prettiest girl and I can’t sing well and I also may not show up some days due to other club activities but…” You bowed before Chika. “Can I join your school idol group?”

  
“... Huh?” Chika was struck by lightning and was left dumbfounded. Chika stood there with You still bowing before her.

  
You stood from her bow. “I mean I’m not exactly convinced I’m wrong but… I’m curious. If that shine proved you wrong, then I want to see. See if you can make that same shine for me and prove me wrong.”

  
Chika’s mind was blank, not even white or black until slowly, You’s words echoed in her brain. In various volumes, You’s words echoed off the walls of Chika’s brain as Chika slowly found the meanings of each word. Then it registered. Chika’s hands went cold as her eyes widened. You wasn’t a part of a group that targeted Chika. You was a part of a group with Chika. “Yes!”  
You put on an even wider smile before lunging herself onto Chika in a hug. Chika stiffened as You’s arms wrapped around her. What was she doing? Was this some sort of attack? A wrestling move? Did she want to have a sumo match? “Uh… What’re you doing?”

  
You stiffened up a bit before quickly removing herself. “Sorry.” She said with a slight blush. “Got a bit excited for some reason. Had the urge to hug and I just did it. I’m kind of impulsive when it comes to actions.”

  
That was a hug? Chika had only heard of it in books and legends from afar as a gesture of affection and that it was nice to receive one but the fact that Chika would ever receive one was unthinkable. Chika also thought it wasn’t that nice to receive as it hurt.

  
Seeing Chika’s poker face on the sudden hug, You pressed her lips together and started walking again. “Anyway… Let’s go get approval from the student council president.” Chika nodded in agreement before following.

  
“Ah! Wait!” Chika jumped a bit from the sudden exclamation from You.

  
“W-What is it?”

  
“You’re talking!”

  
“Eh…”

  
Chika didn’t know if she should’ve felt betrayed, offended, astonished, or all three at once. “That means we’re friends now right?” You spread her arms out in explosive gestures. Chika started leaning back. Maybe Chika had it all wrong about You. She seemed quite eccentric and weird herself. Either that or the ways of the popular girls were very lost on Chika. In response to You’s question of friendship, Chika pressed her lips together and shrugged before she started walking again. You paused at Chika’s response before composing herself and muttering about how she messed up. Through her pressed lips, Chika smiled.

  
“Ok. We’re here.” You pointed at a door in front of Chika to her left. Chika approached the door which separated the duo from the student council president with slow steps. When they were inches away, Chika reached out for the doorknob. “Ah wait. We should probably knock.” Chika retracted her hand before knocking on the door three times.

  
There was a pause before a voice replied, “Come in.” Chika opened the door and entered the semi-chilly room. You followed suit.

  
The room was about half the size of a classroom. Bookshelves lined the walls to the left and right of Chika. Next to the door was a small section of electrical equipment which controlled the school’s intercom system. In the middle of the room was a desk with papers neatly assorted on it with a black haired girl seated before it.

  
The black haired girl was reading one of the papers on the desk with light green eyes. The first thing Chika noticed aside from the black hair and green eyes was the beauty mark under her lower lip. As Chika approached the desk, the president put the paper down onto the desk and rose her head to meet Chika’s gaze. You closed the door after her and walked up to Chika’s side. Chika felt the hairs on her arms rise as Chika felt the full brunt of the president’s pressure.

  
“How can I help you?” The president asked in a calm, sharp voice.

  
“U-Uh… I- err… um…” You stuttered out. The president sent her gaze away from Chika and pointed it at You. “W-W-We… We uh…” Chika glanced to her side to see You as stiff as she was. You was probably more nervous than she was. In fact, You was starting to sweat and her bottom jaw was quivering. The cold room really didn’t help You’s stuttering Chika guessed.

  
“We’d like to establish a club.” Chika was astounded. Did she just speak? Under this immense pressure? Did she just speak? The fact Chika had spoken with no issue so easily irked Chika. She has only interacted with You for a short time yet she was already starting to change. You was not just an angel. You was a powerful angel. Chika felt powerful. Like she could do anything. Even the pressure of the president was nothing as long as You was with Chika.

  
“What type of club?” The president snapped her gaze at Chika.

  
“A school idol club.” The president narrowed her gaze when Chika finished her statement. Chika could feel the pressure rising. Her heart started beating faster as a cold burn ate at her stomach.  
“A school idol club… Are you perhaps planning to start a group?”

  
“Yes.”

  
“How many people have you recruited?”

  
“Only me and You.”

  
“You do know you need at least six members to establish a club right?”

  
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t finished. There are four others.”

  
“Who?”

  
Chika racked her brain for names. Right now she had two of students in her mind: the goldie and the redhead. If Chika is correct, the goldie was named Hanamaru and the redhead was named Ruby. But that would only bring the total to four. Chika remembered the dark blue haired girl. Chika didn’t hear what she had said when she fell out of the tree but she did hear “Yohane” and “Yoshiko.” As far as Chika knew, those weren’t words and were instead names. One of them was probably her actual name. Maybe. It was fifty-fifty chance but perhaps it was Yoshiko? Chika would go with that. That was still only five people total. Who else… who else was there… At this point anything would work. Riko Sakurauchi popped into Chika mind. Wait, whose name was that? Where had she heard it? That’s right, during lunch, You pointed out the transfer student. It’ll work, that’s six people.

  
“Riko, Hanamaru, Ruby, and Yoshiko.” Chika responded. The president kept her narrow gaze locked on Chika.

  
“Why haven’t they joined you here?”

  
“They were all busy.”

  
“Where are their signatures?”

  
“Eh?” Chika paused. Signatures? For what?

  
“The club submission form. You’re supposed to have signatures from joining members. Speaking of which, where is it?”

  
“Club... submission... form?”

  
The president didn’t respond and continued to gaze at Chika. After several moments, the president sighed and leaned back into her chair. “You were lying about the other four weren’t you?”  
Chika averted her gaze to the floor as she let an “Uhhh…” trail from her mouth. For some reason, Chika’s thoughts were preoccupied with how all of the split decision thinking was for nothing.  
“Ok how about this.” Chika lifted her gaze. “Since you’re desperate enough to lie, that must mean you really want to be a school idol right? Since it doesn’t look like we’re gonna get that many club submissions this year, I’ll consider establishing your club starting with only you two.”

  
Chika brightened as the president spoke. “If you tell me why you want to be one and your plans on how you will succeed.” Chika stopped brightening up. Telling her why was easy, telling her the plan was not. After all, Chika didn’t think about the plan as much as just doing it. Chika met the president’s gaze and it was then that Chika decided to make the plan up on the spot.

  
“The reason I want to become a school idol is because I was inspired by a performance by the winners of this tournament called Love Live U’s. When-”

  
“Stop.” Chika bit her tongue as the president interrupted her. The cold burn eating away at Chika grew as the president’s gaze intensified with supposed anger. “What did you just say?”

  
“Uh… The reason I want to become a school idol is because I was inspired by a performance by... the winners of this tournament... called Love Live... U’s...” The president tapped her right index finger on her desk, each tap getting louder as Chika continued to speak. When Chika reached the end of her sentence, the president stood up and turned to face the window behind her.

  
“Can it be, that you are talking about… μ's?” The president said in a low voice.

  
“O-Oh… Was it pronounced “muse?” Chika felt a shiver climb up her body. “U-Um, wow, I thought that you know, it was like a fancy-”

  
“Quiet.”

  
“I’m sorry, yes ma’am.”

  
Chika pressed her lips together as the president turned to face her. The president’s facial expression was serene. It was like the ocean before a storm. The feeling deep within Chika, the cold burn eating away, disappeared. It was then replaced with dread. True dread. Nothing like Chika had ever felt before. Something was going to happen. That’s what the dread told her. Something was going to happen and it was going to be more severe than being yelled at.

  
“How dare you. How dare you mistake their name? Huh.” The president took a step forward as her expression transformed into, not one of anger or ugliness, but one of serious determination. “In the school idol world, they are legendary. They’re the holy ground, the holy scripture, the origin of life equivalent to the universe. And you dare mistake their name! Absolutely ridiculous.” The president pointed a finger at Chika as she approached.

  
“A-Aren’t you a bit close?” Chika backed up as the president kept walking toward her.

  
“I bet you just stumbled upon them randomly, and with your scarce knowledge, thought you’d imitate them? Right?”

 

“N-No I-”

 

The president backed away and walked toward her desk. “Then tell me the first song μ's sang as a group of nine?”

  
“Uh… Um…”  
“You’re wrong!” The president marched back up to Chika and shoved her finger into Chika’s collarbone. “Its “Bokura no Live Kimi to no Life,” shortened as “Borarara.”

  
Chika winced as the president twisted her finger before backing off once more. “Next. What stage did μ's and A-RISE choose during the second Love Live Preliminary round?”

  
“Stage?”

  
“You’re wrong!” The president walked toward the window. “The rooftop of Akihabara's UTX High. It was the preliminary round against A-RISE, another legendary group.”

  
“Next. During the Second Love Live finals, what did μ's sing for their encore?”

  
“Bokura… something…”

  
“Bokura wa Ima no Naka de.” As the president’s trivia went on, the feeling of dread within Chika started to subside. It didn’t help Chika’s dread that the president was starting to smile as she unraveled her endless amounts of μ's trivia to Chika and You. “Also, during the beginning of the song, four of the nine members skipped the beginning song. Those four members were Eli Ayase, Nozomi Tojo, Rin Hoshizora, and Maki Nishikino. This is basic stuff.”

  
However, the dread inside Chika didn’t disappear. The president narrowed her gaze as she took a step toward Chika once again. “Tell me… Mmm…”

  
“Ch-Chika. Chika Takami.”

  
“Tell me Chika Takami.” The president took another step toward Chika. Although Chika’s eyes were fixed on the president’s, from her peripherals, she saw the president extend her left arm beneath the desk. “You want to be a school idol yet you don’t know anything about them? I bet you think they are all cute and no effort. Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.”  
The president still wore a proud smile as she took something from under the desk and hid in behind her leg. “Tell me. How are you going to make costumes? How are you going to compose songs? How are you going to create choreography that creates the perfect balance between being scenic and high effort while simple enough to not wear you out or compromising your voice? How are you going figure out the patterns of appealing to the audience most?”

  
“Chika.” Chika could hear You from the side call her name followed by timid footsteps that grew more purposeful. The dread which had subsided, grew substantially. Something was wrong.

  
“Most importantly.” The president stopped mere inches before Chika. “Assuming you start becoming famous, how are you going to survive against your competition?”

  
“By proving them wrong.” Chika did not know why she spoke those words or why she spoke at all. The dread within her was overwhelming… yet Chika wasn’t scared. For some reason that she did not know, she felt powerful. Like she could do anything. The president’s smile had faded but her gaze remained the same.

  
“I see. Heh. Not a bad answer.” The president smirked. “In that case, I have decided help you out.”

  
In that moment, time slowed down. Chika’s eyes glanced down toward the president’s left hand as it lunged upward. In it, was some sort of tool or weapon. It looked kind of like an arrow with the arrowhead, heading straight for Chika’s neck. Chika reached out an arm to intercept it but the second Chika started moving, she knew she was too slow. The arrow was close now, about a foot away from her neck. Then suddenly, Chika was shoved to the side.

  
Time sped up as Chika landed on the ground. Despite the slight disorientation of not knowing what happened, Chika jumped to her feet. She looked to the spot she was standing previously to see You wrestling the president for the arrow. You’s right hand was gripping the president’s left arm and was in the middle of retracting her left from after pushing Chika before reaching for the president’s right shoulder. Chika took a step toward them before stopping in her tracks. You’s left hand passed through the president’s shoulder as if the president had become a ghost.

  
You’s eyes widened as the momentum of pushing forward didn’t stop at the president’s shoulder. In response to stumbling over, You loosened her grip on the president’s left arm in preparation for her landing. It was then that the president wriggled free from You’s grip, gripped the underside of You’s left arm with her right, aimed the arrow head at You’s neck, and without mercy, plunging it straight in. You stiffened upon impact.

  
“You!” Chika shouted in response to the scene. Although Chika wanted to move, she was frozen. Shock grasped Chika’s body as she watched You’s body quiver. Shock grasped Chika’s body as You latched her right hand onto the president’s face in a desperate attempt to push her away. Shock grasped Chika’s body as the president shifted her body before stabbing the arrow in deeper into You’s neck. Shock grasped Chika’s body as the life within You’s eyes drained as fast as the blood spilling out from the wound. Shock grasped Chika’s body as the president wiggled the arrow out of You’s neck and tossed her aside. Shock grasped Chika’s body as You fell onto the floor with blood gushing out like a mini Niagara Falls. Shock grasped Chika’s body when the president turned to look at Chika.

  
Shock let go of Chika’s body as her migraine returned.

\--- **To Be Continued** \-->

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Jesus Christ. I finally finished this chapter. God. I started this back in June of this year and just now I finished it in December, two days before New Year’s. I didn’t exactly work on this chapter for seven months though. I wrote like the first two pages in June, took a six month break, then started writing it again five days ago. I wasn’t lying when I said the updates are coming erratically xD. Anyway, how was the chapter? This was probably the longest chapter I have ever written. Any thoughts are appreciated. While I prefer constructive criticism, regular criticism is welcome xD. Oh yeah, stands next chapter xD. And with stands, expect the after chapter thing to be stand info like appearance, ability, and stats. I would do the first one now since technically Dia’s was revealed but… I want the first to be Chika’s so sorry xD. Anyway, I’mma wrap this up. Been working since midnight and it’s 9 AM now so I’m gonna go catch up on some Zzzz’s. See ya guys later xD. 
> 
> Forgot about the out of context quote of the chapter: “At this rate, You might shove it down Chika’s throat, skin and all.”


	2. Sunshine Story Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys! I hope you’re ready for the useless A/N of the chapter! I actually have no news to tell you guys but since I don’t feel right not writing one of these; I’m going to tell you something random. Does anyone remember Shizuka Joestar from part 4? The baby with the invisibility stand? Wouldn’t it be cool if there was a Jojo game where you played through her bizarre story? Yeah. Ok anyway, here’s the chapter xD. Hope you guys like it

**Chapter 2: Sunshine Story Part 2**

 

Philosophical Optimism is a position proposed in the sixteen hundreds that argues that the world we currently live in is the “best world” God could have possibly made. With this, Philosophical Optimism suggests that while there is still evil in the world, it could have been much worse. Despite its name, it is far from clear that the view is “optimistic.” While it says the world is the best, it could also mean that there is no room to improve. There is no way to get better results, no way to rid the world of more evil or evil entirely. 

To Chika, this philosophy meant that she was made to be hated; that no matter what she did, her situation would never get better. And Chika wholeheartedly believed it. Chika had tried many times in the past to get rid of her lack of desire. No matter what, it wouldn’t leave her. Nothing interested her, even if she forced herself to stay with one thing, she would never find a passion for it. Furthermore, Chika had never met anyone who accepted this side of her. For Chika’s entire life, no matter what she did, her situation never got better. That was until she met You.

Chika didn’t believe true friendship could develop in one day. It seemed impossible that two people could trust and depend on each other so easily. From Chika’s point of view, people were too ugly and selfish to do so. However; in one day, Chika had betrayed her previous opinions and became friends with You Watanabe.

Though when Chika thought about it, it made sense. You, in one day, had proved her wrong multiple times. Chika thought You would think she was weird, You did not. Chika thought You could not ever understand, You did. Chika thought You wouldn’t even talk to her more than once, You did talk to her more than once. Chika thought that she could never break out of being someone made to be hated, You broke her out by not hating her. No, there were more methods than just not hating her. When Chika found  μ's and after a day started doubting herself, You stopped her. When Chika was in a pinch from her tendency to not talk much, You decided to talk for her. In a way, without You, Chika wouldn’t be where she was. In a way, without You, Chika wouldn’t have gained a desire. In a way, without You, Chika would never have been able to break out of the “Best World.” And because of that, Chika was grateful to You. 

That all came crashing down. In one moment, Chika’s gratitude spilled out as fast as the blood gushing out of You’s neck. How had Chika not seen this coming? How had Chika let herself be clouded? Chika was made to be hated and to have someone come in and try and change that was a big no in the eyes of the “Best World.” If this was the “Best World” how could improvement for Chika occur? Chika had fooled herself. At this point, Chika should be called “Chika the Modern-Day Zanni.” 

No. That’s not right. Chika had been proved wrong. Chika had been proved wrong by You Watanabe and it was genuine. Even if You was dead, the fact that You was able to make all of the things Chika thought were impossible possible was enough proof that Chika could break out. It was enough proof that this wasn’t the “Best World.” Plus why does it have to be the “Best World?” Why couldn’t Chika deny it and stomp it to the ground? Because God said so? So what? That just means God wasn’t almighty enough to make it better. Chika’s gratitude would not die so easily. Not after being proven wrong. So as shock let go of Chika’s body and the president took a step towards her, Chika would resolve in her heart that she would leave alive and break out of the “Best World” completely. 

Chika studied the president as the president advanced towards her. The president had a confident stride, one filled with purpose. Her expression was serious and motivated. As the president made her way toward Chika, she switched the arrow from her left hand to her right. Yup, she was definitely going to try stabbing Chika too. It was here that a thought came to her. Why was the student council president committing murder? Why did You’s hand phase through the president’s shoulder? God, saying student council president or president over and over is starting to get annoying. Chika had no idea why in such a situation, she was being sarcastic to herself. Maybe it was because Chika had gained confidence. Maybe it was because Chika didn’t feel threatened. Or maybe it was because Chika had already decided, in her mind, what she was going to do. 

When the president got within a meter of Chika, Chika took a step forward and raised her left fist back with the intent to punch. In response, the president shot her right arm forward toward Chika’s neck with the arrow in hand. Chika didn’t look at the arrow and blocked the arrow with her left hand. The arrowhead penetrated into Chika’s hand until it made a hole right through it. Chika grit her teeth as she reeled her right fist back before launching it for the president’s face.

“Wh-” Chika’s fist connected to the president’s face as her eyes shifted from the arrow piercing Chika’s hand to the incoming fist. The president fell from the impact and while Chika took a moment to acknowledge how much punching a person hurt, she glanced over at the president who was in the middle of recovering. It occured to Chika that she should stomp on the president. Chika briskly walked over to the president’s side and raised a foot over the president’s torso before stomping downward. The president raised a hand and intercepted the stomp, stopping it. 

Before Chika could question how the president was fast enough to intercept it, Chika lifted herself off the ground using the president’s hand as stool then crashed her other foot onto the president’s face. Chika didn’t think about how the president still kept a tight and steady grip on Chika foot as she smashed the President’s face with her weight. Chika had connected four blows before she was tossed into the air. 

Chika hadn’t processed what had happened until after she landed hard on her side which left her gasping for air. Although Chika wondered how she went from stomping to the ground coughing, she forced herself to stand. As Chika did, she noticed the arrow still stuck in her hand. It was then that her body exploded. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before. Her hand felt like it was taped to a stove that had been burning for hours. Chika couldn’t help but let out a scream as she gripped her wrist in a futile attempt to soothe the pain. Chika’s knees quaked under the extreme sensation but still held their ground. 

As Chika grit her teeth to avoid being louder, she glanced ahead to see the president standing and glaring at her behind a bruised eye. As soon as Chika made eye contact, the president started another advance toward Chika. Chika glanced at the arrow in her hand then at the president before her next course of action developed in her mind. Chika took several steps toward the president to meet her and raising her arrow-pierced hand with her other hand gripping near the notch of it, brought it down upon the president. The president made no movement to dodge and just as Chika thought the arrow was gonna connect, it phased straight through the president’s head and body. Chika noticed the lack of connection as she stumbled forward through the president’s body and as she turned to face the president once more, a fist struck her liver. Chika coughed as her legs gave out. 

The president grabbed Chika’s arm with the arrow through it, semi-catching Chika’s fall. Chika placed her free hand over her stomach as she coughed violently. What the hell was that? Did she punch Chika? Why did it hurt so much? It’s like someone shot a gun point-blank at Chika’s torso but instead of penetrating her, it bounced off her skin. As Chika looked up to view the president, the president gripped the arrow and forcefully pulled it out of Chika’s hand. Chika’s body was shot into a rainbow of reaction. Chika didn’t know whether she should cry, scream, pass out, kick the ground, she didn’t know. She didn’t know what was going on anymore. Who she was? Where she was? What she was? All she knew was that her hand was on fire and she needed to put it out; but no matter what she did, she couldn’t. The president let go of Chika’s arm, letting Chika cradle it while letting out restrained noises. 

What would You do? If Chika had been the one to get stabbed in the neck and You had somehow got to the point Chika had, what would she have done next? Would You sit there making weird noises like Chika was? Would You grit her teeth and tackle the president? Chika didn’t know. Chika would never know. You was dead. Chika probably was too. It was pathetic. Chika had just found what she wanted to do. For the first time, she found desire but now it was being taken away. Maybe the world she existed in really was the “Best World” and her stupid belief that things could get better was just that: a stupid belief. Maybe You proving her wrong meant nothing. After all, You was just an anomaly in the “Best World” that got snuffed out as soon as she tried to make something better. Why would You’s action matter if she’s not something that was supposed to be in the “Best World?” It was impossible to escape the grips of death from the “Best World.” It was impossible to escape the evil within the “Best World.”

Chika looked past the president to the spot where You was. Something was off. Something looked off about You. She still laid there, unmoving, but… it was like she wasn’t dead. No, that can’t be. It couldn’t be. But the pool of blood around You was gone. In fact, the neck wound was gone. But how? Chika knew that You got stabbed in the neck. So how could all evidence that You got stabbed disappear like magic? 

It was then that Chika would be proved wrong once more. As Chika observed the strange state of You’s surroundings, she noticed a twitch. That was impossible. The “best world’s evil” could not be destroyed. Nothing can survive death provided by the “best world” yet… it was undeniable now. Chika observed as You turned onto her stomach before attempting to get up. She failed and fell with a “Umph” which caused the president to look at You. It was surreal to Chika. You was alive and moving. Her wound was gone as well. Chika didn’t know whether she should be crying, laughing, punching herself, sleeping, or doing anything. How many times? How many times had Chika doubted You? How many times had You proved Chika wrong? How many times will Chika continue to doubt You? How many times will You continue to prove Chika wrong? 

Chika glanced up at the president who was watching You with slight curiosity. The “Best World” was the absolute best God could have created. That just means he was incapable and not almighty. Chika could feel it. Something inside of her changing. Chika was not going to lay there and wait for the “Best World” to kill her or drive her to ruin. Chika was not going to lay there as the same people who thought she was weird, go on living in the “Best World” without realizing how wrong they were. Not as long as You was around anyway. Heh so It was true. You was a powerful angel. Almost like something from a different world that wasn’t the “Best World.” And that gave Chika strength. It made Chika feel powerful. Powerful enough to take on anything, including the “Best World.” In fact…

“Fuck the “Best World.” Chika balled her hands into fists. Chika half-expected her hand to explode again but felt nothing. That was fine. The president looked down at Chika with furrowed eyebrows. “The world is not at its best. Even if its one out of countless others, this is not the best. In fact, I don’t believe the “Best World” exists or ever will.” Chika could feel her resolve strengthening, almost like it was manifesting into something physical. 

“However, I know it can be changed. And if it can be changed, then that’s fine as long as it gets better. I don’t know how others will change it or if they would even try but I know how I will. By proving everyone wrong in the world. And until then, I’m not going to be killed.” Chika lifted a hand to the middle of her chest, turned her head to place it on her right shoulder and had her legs together lying next to her butt, finishing her statement with a pose. 

The president still stared at her with furrowed brows. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” It was then that the president noticed the little creature hovering above Chika’s head. 

The creature was shaped like a small mouse that stood upright. It had no legs and instead had a short tail that squirmed smoothly as if it was swimming in the air. Near the middle of its body were two hovering spheres that were detached from the body. It had two small, red eyes on its head which was about as large as its body. Other than the eyes and a small crown floating above its head, it had no nose or mouth. On its torso was an small design of what looked like a tangerine slice with lines protruding from the design into rings around the its body. It was mostly black except for the design and the lines which were a glowing orange color. 

The president eyed the creature as it slowly hovered up to the president’s face. It was when it left from the top of Chika’s head that Chika had noticed it herself. Chika stopped posing as she watched the thing float toward the president. What was that thing? It looked like a mini ghost that Chika kind of found cute. Chika didn’t know what to think of the little alien as it stopped inches away from the president. The president raised a brow at the it. A moment passed before its little hovering balls started to barrage the president’s nose. It was here when Chika cracked a smile. Apparently it hated the president as much as Chika did. Chika watched as it kept punching the president’s nose. Chika watched as the president raised a hand and tentatively, grabbed its body with her hand. Chika stopped watching as she coughed blood and fell onto the floor. 

“Wh-” Chika gritted her teeth. What was happening? One moment, she was fine. The next, it felt like a giant hand clasped around her body and was squishing it tightly. It was bizarre. If she recalled correctly, the president had grabbed it just before Chika felt the pain she was currently experiencing. Could it be she was feeling the pain from it? No. There’s no way, that seemed like a stretch. As far as Chika knew, it was a completely different entity from her. 

The president watched as Chika writhed on the floor along with the thing clasped inside her hand. She was beginning to understand what it was. The president tightened her grip and watched as Chika let out a scream of agony. The president lightened her grip and watched as Chika stopped tensing up and breathed heavily. The president knew exactly what it was now. The president touched her nose as she looked at it wiggling in her grip. It was weak. Very weak. The president felt disappointed.

Chika glanced at the president as the president let out a sigh. Without mercy, the president tightened her grip as if she was holding a dumbell that was way too heavy for her. Chika let out a scream. She was gonna die. She was gonna die. She was gonna die. The president bitch daddy fuck was gonna kill her. Chika banged her head against the floor as the pain persisted. Why the hell was the pain of the little alien dickwad being shared with Chika? Where the fuck did it even come from? Who knows? Who knows? It didn’t matter, after all Chika was being crushed to death by an invisible hand. What a happy moment! Chika just scored a homerun! Now she’s driving a truck down an endless pit! Oh hey, now she’s a Chinese emperor! Now she’s marrying You! What joyous thoughts! Oh no! The homerun killed Chika’s mom! The pit rejected Chika and her truck and now they’re soaring in space! Her empire just got taken over by stupid rich people from a foreign land! You just got stolen by some guy and now she won’t talk to Chika anymore! Why? Why? What horrible thoughts! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Bring the happiness back! Where’s the positivity? Ahhhhhhhhh Chika just killed You! No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Joy! Joy! Joy! Joy! Jo- 

Chika was fine. Chika was ok. Chika was breathing. The pain had stopped and was fading. Chika lay there on the cold floor as sweat dripped onto her bangs. After what seemed like ages, a thought occurred to Chika. She should see what the president was doing. Chika slowly shifted her eyes to where the president was. It was a confusing sight. The president had her arms by her side and her head was tilted slightly upward with a wide smile on her face. Her eyes were wide and unblinking. There was life in them but… it was almost like there was “too much life,” to the point that they were glassy. It was almost like the president was off in her own world. 

While the state of the president was confusing to Chika, what confused Chika more was the creature. It had changed, or rather, grew. Earlier it had been the size of small mouse but now, it was about the size of Chika’s head and shoulders combined. All of its features were bigger and bolder. The only major difference other than the size was that it had grew a zigzag shaped mouth and the small spheres had become small arms. It looked stronger. As Chika stared at it longer, the more it seemed “faded.” It was obviously corporeal since the president was able to touch it, but it had a ghostly aura to it. It was strange. Why did it grow? Why did it grow so much? What was it? Where did it come from? Why does it look like Chika’s hand could phase through it if she tried touching it? So many questions raced through Chika’s mind and she hadn’t even touched the pond of mystery surrounding the president. 

“Chika!” Chika perked up at the sound of her name and shifted her gaze toward the direction of the voice. You had moved and was kneeling down beside Chika. “Are you ok? 

You was completely fine, not a scratch was on her. Chika smiled at You’s worried expression. Chika had confirmed it in her mind over and over but to have even more proof that You was alive made Chika ecstatic. 

“Yeah I’m fine.”

“A-Are you sure? You seemed to be in a lot of pain and were wiggling around strangely just a few seconds ago. Kinda like you were getting crushed or something.”

“Yeah I’m sure. I’m more worried about you though. You got stabbed in the neck.”

You looked down as she touched a spot on her neck and rubbed it gently. “I… I think I’m fine. I don’t feel pain but… And it’s like I never got stabbed in the neck but… I can remember it clearly. Not my thoughts though… It was like my body was… well leaving my body but I had this feeling of not wanting to die and-”

You stopped as the president groaned. She was looking in front of her with semi-glossy eyes. Chika slowly got to her feet as the president’s shot glances around the room. The president was dazed. Chika had no idea why she was but it presented the best opportunity to run. Chika nudged You to move. “Let’s go.” The President landed her gaze on the pair. “Now… Now!”

You bolted out of the door and as Chika followed, she didn’t notice the creature phase into her body. They didn’t look back as they ran. They didn’t stop running until after they passed the front gates of the school. When they reached the road, Chika slowed to a walk as exhaustion overwhelmed her. Her migraine wasn’t helping much either. You kept running until she looked back to see Chika walking. You slowed to a walk too after looking past Chika for a moment longer. Chika eventually met shoulder to shoulder with You and the two walked along the road in silence. 

Did that just happen? Did everything in the past twenty-five minutes really just happen? They were almost murdered. Chika fought somebody. There was a weird creature that appeared out of nowhere too. She got stabbed in the hand. Chika rubbed her hand which had the wound… to find it wasn’t there. Chika looked down at her hand to find there was no wound. What? How could that be? Chika clearly remembered the feeling of having a hole in her hand but now it was gone. Chika didn’t know whether she should’ve been bothered by this or relieved. On one hand, her hand wasn’t injured. On the other hand, Chika was probably crazy. If the wound on her hand wasn’t there, does that mean she imagined the whole event? No, Chika could clearly remember it. There was no way Chika could’ve been able to make up such a detailed event. Plus You was there. You got stabbed in the neck. 

Chika looked at You who was staring at the ground in thought. Her neck was completely wound-free. What was going on? You definitely got stabbed in the neck. In fact, she should be dead. Maybe Chika did imagine it? It was starting to overwhelm Chika. Not knowing whether it happened or not was bothering her. She wanted to know. Chika wanted to ask You. Chika should ask You. It was so awkward though. The atmosphere between them was too awkward. 

Chika tapped her fingers against the side of her thighs. What was going to happen? Tomorrow, if Chika and You went back to school, what would happen? The president clearly had something against them for reasons unknown. Would the president make up an excuse to have them meet her during class? Would she kill them then? Would the president start to target them? Would the president have other people target them as well? 

Chika stopped tapping her thighs and balled her hands into fists. This was not a good situation. There were too many unknowns. Why was the president trying to kill them? Why did she suddenly stop trying to kill them? Why did their wounds heal? What was that creature? Why did pain done to that creature reflect to her? Wait. Pain done to the creature reflects to her. If Chika remembered correctly, it was still in the president’s room. Chika stopped walking. You stopped as well and looked at Chika with confusion. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. What’s going to stop the president from killing the creature? If the creature is linked to Chika in a way like pain, what’s to say that the creature isn’t also connected to Chika in terms of life. 

“What’s wrong?” Chika ignored You’s question as she looked behind her. She had to go get the creature. If she didn’t, it would spell bad things for her. But going back would also spell bad things for her. Chika dug her nails into the palms of her hands. 

“Um…” You lightly touched Chika’s shoulder which caused Chika to jump. As Chika jumped, something inside of her felt like it was manifesting. You jumped back as well. After a moment, Chika relaxed when she realized it was You. Chika expected You to smile or at least relax too but her eyes were locked onto something above Chika. Chika didn’t like the stare, it was full of concern. You shifted her gaze at Chika before looking at whatever was above her again. “Chika. There’s… There’s something above you.” 

“W-What is?” 

“I don’t know. It’s black and it’s floating and it’s arms are detached and… I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like it.” 

Chika knew what was above her head. Even then, Chika cautiously looked up to confirm her suspicions. She was right. It was the creature. How long had it been there? Why was it there? What was it doing? Chika and You stared at it as it started spinning in place. Chika slowly side stepped out from under it and went to be by You side by side. 

“Why is it spinning?” asked You.

“I don’t know.” Chika responded.

“Do you know what it is?”

“No. Well… Sort of. I saw it in the president’s room.”

“You saw it in the president’s room?”

“Yeah. When I was fighting her I saw it and so did the president and for some reason, whenever something harms it, I get harmed too.”

“Um… I only saw it for an instance, but it came out of you when you jumped.”

Wait what? It came out of Chika? Wait, wait, wait. “It… came out of me?” Chika looked at You. You nodded. “Wait. What do you mean by it came out of me? Like it came out of my body or…”

“I mean I’m not exactly sure but it looked like it phased out of you.” Chika looked at the creature as it stopped spinning to look at Chika. It felt familiar but alien. It was like looking she was looking at herself in the mirror after having paint splashed onto her face in her sleep. Chika understood the alien part but the familiar part? Chika could say with confidence that she had never seen the creature before in her life, excluding the event with the president. Yet it was like she was looking at something she was familiar with; almost like it was a part of her.

From the corner of Chika’s eye, she saw You slowly approach the creature. What was she doing? As You got within arm’s reach of the creature, she reached out a finger and poked it. Except, she didn’t poke it. Her finger went right through the creature. You stared at her finger which was visible even though it was supposed to be inside the creature. Chika’s migraine exploded. You’s finger went through it like it was a ghost. That made no sense. Chika didn’t get what was going on. At this point, she didn’t want to get what was going on. She just wanted to stop being apart of it. 

After several moments, You retracted her finger and slowly bobbed her head up and down as she pressed her lips together. “Chika… I’m not crazy right? You saw that right?” 

“Mhm.” 

“The president tried to kill us didn’t she?”

“Mhm.”

“I got stabbed in the neck.”

“Mhm.”

“But there’s no wound.” You lightly rubbed her neck. “There’s no wound but I clearly remember getting stabbed in the neck. Plus you saw me get stabbed in the neck.” You sat down on the ground as she rested her forehead on a hand. 

“I got stabbed too. Though it was in the hand… The wound isn’t there anymore either.” Chika examined her hand. Apparently Chika wasn’t crazy. The events that had happened in the last twenty-five minutes actually happened. Unless You was also crazy… And just so happened to have the same delusions as Chika. 

“You got stabbed by that arrow thing too right? In the hand.”

“Mhm.”

“... Maybe that arrow heals wounds it makes.” 

It wasn’t a bad speculation. There was enough evidence to say it was possible with both of their wounds being made by the arrow and then disappearing like nothing happened. On the other hand, why would the arrow do that? Arrows were usually made with hunting or killing living organisms in mind; yet this arrow just so happens to heal the wounds it created? That made no sense. Unless… The arrow did something else that it could only do if it made wounds. But what would that something else be? Chika had no idea. Even then, the fact the arrow could heal wounds was strange by itself too. How could it do that? And perfectly too? 

“Ahhhhh!” Chika snapped out of her thoughts as a scream pierced her ears. She looked at the source to see You scratching her head furiously. “I don’t know! This makes no sense! This is like some bad dream. First we almost get killed, then there’s whatever that thing is, now there’s the whole thing with that arrow… And I should be dead! I got stabbed in the neck! No one survives being stabbed in the neck! Ahhhhhhhh!”

Chika pressed her lips together as You voiced her frustrations. She wanted to help or say something but Chika had no idea what was going on either. Nothing made sense. Chika looked at the thing as it flailed its arms. Chika had no idea what it was doing but it seemed friendly. It wasn’t hostile and even if it was, it probably couldn’t do anything to harm them. Chika wouldn’t have been able to do anything either since apparently things went through it. It was like a ghost, kind of like the president. The president was able to touch it. 

The creature stopped waving its arms in the air and had gotten into a boxer’s position before boxing the air. The president was able to touch it. The president was able to touch it. The president was able to touch it! Why was the president able to touch it? You couldn’t touch it but the president could. In fact, the president squeezed it which caused Chika pain. Chika was starting to come upon a realization. The president had the ability to touch it and cause harm to it which caused Chika harm. It looked familiar to Chika. It was like a ghost with it being somewhat see through and intangible. You claimed it phased out of Chika. The arrow healed wounds that it made; which made no sense unless the arrow did something else which it could only do if it made wounds. The president tried to murder them with the arrow… but she said “let me help you.” 

The arrow created the creature. The thing the arrow did was create creatures through wounds. No, wait, the arrow created creatures by first penetrating into the body which created wounds as a side-effect. However, the arrow’s intent was not to make wounds but the creatures. The reason the arrow healed wounds was because it was not meant to kill or destroy. That was one mystery solved but Chika was on the verge of discovering more. The arrow had to penetrate into the body to create creatures meaning that the creature was created from something within Chika. But what was that thing? It wasn’t something like her organs or blood, she didn’t feel like any body part was missing. The creature was intangible… So perhaps it was made from something spiritual? Chika’s thoughts slowed. She didn’t know what it could’ve been made of. Even then, she had figured out one mystery. A feeling of excitement enveloped Chika. 

“The arrow gave me the creature!” You lifted her face and looked at Chika before blinking. “The arrow heals wounds it creates… but that makes no sense unless the arrow’s purpose was to do something other than destroy or kill. So maybe what it does is create? However, in order to create, it had to reach something inside of our bodies hence why it has to make wounds!”

“W-Wait. You’re going too fast-”

“Oh! And the president might not have actually been trying to murder us! I mean she used an arrow that heals wounds it creates. Also it makes no sense for her to just randomly try and murder two people she doesn’t even know. If I remember correctly, I think she said something about helping me out after I told her about becoming a school idol. Maybe her intention was to give me whatever that creature is? Ah… But why? Or rather, how does that help me become a good school idol? Plus its a creature so…”

Chika looked at You who was half-smiling in clear confusion. Embarrassment consumed Chika and she shifted her eyes to the floor. Did she just spout all of that? Why was she so excited? It was uncool. She wanted to die. Why did she feel excited? Usually Chika wouldn’t care too much even if she solved mysteries but… She felt fulfilled and accomplished, like she satisfied something. 

“Ah, um, so the arrow made it?” Chika glanced up at You who took up a more apologetic half-smile. 

“Mhm.”

You pressed her lips together at Chika’s silence. Chika saw and thought about explaining her findings again. Chika decided against it to spare her embarrassment. “Well, I don’t really understand how or why it is but I’ll trust your judgment.” Maybe Chika should explain her findings again. She would feel bad about leaving You in the dark. “Since it was, presumably, made from you, does it do anything special? Like does it follow your orders? Does it have a mind of its own? Or…”

Those were good questions that Chika did not know the answers to. Does it do anything special? They escaped the president because she suddenly became dazed by something. It was weird and while Chika had suspicions about it, she didn’t know the mystery behind it. Perhaps the creature did something? It was the last thing the president was in contact with. But what could it have done? It was punching the president but she didn’t seem dazed then. Chika doubted the creature in its current form could’ve done much too. Wait. You said that the creature phased out of Chika meaning that, at some point, it phased into her. Perhaps it could “daze” somebody by phasing through them? 

“Maybe it can daze people?” 

“Daze people?”

“When we escaped the president’s room, she was in some sort of “daze.” I don’t know how the president became like that but maybe it was because of the creature.”

“I see…”

“You said it phased out of me right? Maybe it dazes people by phasing through them? Which explains why most things go through-” Chika paused. No that couldn’t be it. The president was able to touch it. If the president could interact with it despite being intangible, how could it phase through her?

“Ok so we know it can daze people. Can you control it? I mean since its made from you or something, wouldn’t it be kind of like an extension of you?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t tried controlling it.”

“Why don’t you try it then?” 

Chika nodded and looked at the creature. It was really into boxing the air. It weaved left and right, punching occasionally. Should she voice the commands or do them in her mind? It made sense to voice them but… Chika glanced at You who was staring at Chika with pressed lips. It was embarrassing. What if it didn’t do anything? She would look stupid! Plus other people could pass by and think she’s weird! No wait. That’s irrational. No one cares. You wouldn’t care much either. Just do it. Show the creature who’s boss. You got this! 

“S-Stop punching the air!” Chika should jump into the ocean and let herself drown. Why did she shout it? Why did she stutter? Chika’s migraine started to get into unbearable aching territory.

“Oh!” Chika looked at You to see her looking at the creature in slight amazement. Chika looked over to see the creature had stopped boxing the air and was looking at Chika. It followed her orders? Maybe it was coincidence?

“Start spinning in place.” The creature started spinning. 

“Stop.” The creature stopped.

It followed her orders. It actually followed her orders. Chika felt oddly excited. Maybe it was because it validated that it was made from something within her? Maybe it was because she had a special power? Maybe it was because You looked amazed? Chika didn’t know.

“Woah… Chika’s that’s amazing!” You jumped with sparkles in her eyes. Chika pressed her lips together and looked at the floor with embarrassment. “It's kind of like you have a pet.”

Chika nodded. “Are you gonna give it a name?” Chika looked up at You in confusion. “I mean since it’s like a pet, and you can’t just keep calling it thing or creature. You should give it a name.”

You had a point. If it was made of from something within her and followed her orders, it would probably follow Chika. She couldn’t just call it “Thing” or “Creature” if that were the case. But what would she call it? Dave? Emerald? Shiitake? Those names didn’t feel right to Chika. She looked at the creature. It felt like she should call it something more. The more Chika thought about it, the more she hated her names. Chika shrugged at You’s name question.

“Can’t think of any huh? Hmmm, how about Mikan?” Chika shook her head at You’s suggestion. She was not gonna name it tangerine. You sighed in defeat. “I have a few but I feel like you won’t like them that much so I’ll leave the naming to you.”

Chika wanted to object to save You’s feelings but she really couldn’t. Knowing You, she probably would have said tangerine in ten other languages.

“Hey Chika.” Chika gave You her attention as You stood up. “Do you think I have one too?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

“I got stabbed by the same arrow so it shouldn’t be that far fetched! How did you make yours come out?”

Chika opened her mouth to respond but paused. She didn’t know. How did she summon hers? The first time, it was after she solidified her resolve. Chika did feel like something was manifesting from within her. The second time was after she got scared and had a feeling of wanting to “protect herself.” Those were two different instances. It could’ve been every time she felt strong or it could’ve been every time she wanted to “protect herself.” In a way, it was almost instinctual. It felt as natural as the action of walking. 

“Not sure… It just kind of comes out. It’s not even a “think and it comes out” thing either. Like I can just kind of make it come out.”

You looked slightly disappointed but quickly replaced it with a determined expression. “Come out!” You fisted the air. “I summon thee!” 

Chika didn’t know how to respond to You’s sudden attempts. “Ahhhhh I’m being attacked! Help!” Chika almost wanted to laugh. It was stupid and even Chika could feel the embarrassment that came with saying the phrases. “Expecto Patronum!” 

Eventually You stopped and slumped down when nothing happened. Perhaps she didn’t obtain one of the creatures? Was there something that had to be fulfilled in order to obtain one? Chika racked her brain. Chika’s came out when she solidified her resolve. The other time was when she wanted to “protect herself.” It was made from within her as well… It was intangible… Perhaps, it had something to do with something mental? It only came out when Chika felt strong so perhaps it was connected to a strong mentality; like resolve or willpower? It seemed plausible to Chika. 

Suddenly You started laughing. Chika stared at You as she did. The longer You laughed, the more Chika started to become weirded out. Did she go crazy? Did the trauma of the past thirty-five minutes catch up to her? 

Eventually You transitioned into a chuckle with a smile plastered on her face. Chika half-expected her to start breaking down. Though when Chika thought about it, You was probably doing something from the ways of the popular kids. Nah. You was still quite scared. Chika knew it.

“I feel a little bit better now.” You chuckled. “We almost got killed but now I feel like it never really happened. I don’t really feel as scared anymore.”

How oddly straightforward. You was quite the straightforward person. She made her terrible attempts of not worrying others very apparent. Chika had heard You laugh before and it was the polar opposite of the “laugh” she just heard. You’s face had a calm happiness to it. She was chewing her cheek though. You’s hands were steady. She kept rubbing them. Chika wanted to do something. It bothered her that she was doing nothing while You was struggling to be positive. It wasn’t fair that she couldn’t help You after the number of times You helped her. She wanted to help. She wanted to make You genuinely positive and not worry. She wanted to make the negativity go away. It bothered her. 

But did she have the right to do that? Or rather was it good if she tried? Negativity was bad only in excess. The fear and worry was only a natural instinct that came with almost being killed. If anything, it probably helped You cope with the previous events. 

Though Chika wouldn’t really know that as true. After all, she never truly worried about anything. She had never experienced things such as last minute panic before. Even in worrying situations like the event prior, she felt zero panic. Sure she was surprised and felt dread but it wasn’t panic. She accepted You was dead, she had clear thoughts, she fought the president with hesitation, it was almost mechanic. Maybe that was panic? Like the denial phase of panic where the body rejected tense stimuli. Then how come she didn’t feel panic kick in afterwords? Yup, Chika didn’t feel panic in the slightest. In that sense, how would she know if negativity during panic was a good thing? You tried to dispel it and Chika assumed it was out of consideration of not worrying her; but it could’ve really just been to help You calm herself down and cope better. 

Chika looked at You who was looking at the ground. She wanted to help. She wanted to cheer You up. But how was she going to do it? Chika herself was the embodiment of negativity. It wasn’t easy to be positive when Chika only thought about herself and why people avoided her all of this time. What does a negative person know about positivity? 

“Oh crap!” You suddenly shot her head up. “I completely forgot to buy groceries! You can go ahead of me if you want. See ya tomorrow!”

You waved and turned around to run in the opposite direction of Chika. “Ah…” Chika turned too as You walked away. You stopped and gave her attention to Chika. Chika was inherently a negative person who, at best, had a few moments of positivity in her life. She knew everything there was about being negative but nothing about being positive. However, you could also say that Chika knew which things weren’t negative. If Chika guessed, she could say anything that wasn’t negative, was positive; or at least not completely negative. In that sense, Chika did know some things about positivity. 

Leaving You alone was probably the best thing for Chika to do and she was going to let her be alone; however Chika wanted to try. Chika wanted to try and cheer You up; even by a tiny bit. Chika had the perfect joke in mind. “I don’t like tangerines much because they’re not a- **peeling** to me.”

You stared at Chika dumbfoundingly. Chika wasn’t getting a reaction. Did she say it wrong? Did she not put enough emphasis on the pun? Maybe You didn’t get it. “It’s a pun. You know how you have to peel tangerines and I don’t like tangerines. Tangerines don’t really appeal to me. You know like “peel” and “-peal” sound alike so tangerines aren’t a-peeling to me.”

You blinked in response. Maybe she just wasn’t a big fan of that one. “Ah sorry, I guess my puns aren’t that  **orange** -inal.” Chika started to grin. You wasn’t giving Chika any response. Maybe she didn’t get that one either. “It’s another play on words because orange and “orig-” in “original” sound alike and I also just made a tangerine pun earlier.”

You still gave no response. “Oh come on, I don’t think these puns are that  **tear** -ible.” 

“Not a big fan of that either? Well I have another one that will  **blow** you away!” Chika was on a roll. She couldn’t stop. They kept coming at her one after another. “What do you call a thieving crocodile? A  **Crook** -odile. What do you call a seagull that flies over a bay? A  **bagel-** ”

“Stop. Please… Stop.” You massaged near her right eye with a look of unamusement. Apparently Chika gave You her very own migraine. Chika pressed her lips together as You cringed in pain. You didn’t appreciate the beauty of puns. “Ah! I mean I appreciate it and I thought they were funny just… you just started to explain them and…” 

Chika wanted to grab the nearest sharpest branch and stab herself in the stomach. Why did she think puns were gonna work? Stupid, stupid, stupid. Now You was feeling more negative than before. Chika wished she could turn back time and rewind her failure out of existence. 

“So yeah. See ya.” You turned once again. As she did, the creature, which had been watching the pair, started floating toward You. Chika noticed it and would’ve willed it to stop if curiosity hadn’t took a hold of her. As it got closer, You noticed it and stopped to face it. The creature stopped an arm’s length away and tapped You on the forehead with one of its arms. As the creature’s arm retracted, several tiny, golden strings, that were attached to You’s forehead, followed it. The creature itself glowed faintly and grew even larger as the strings pulsated. After several seconds, the strings broke off from You’s forehead and receded back into the creature’s arm. It backed away from You, revealing her to be in a daze just like the president was. 

Chika approached the pair with curiosity. What just happened? What did she just witness? Why did it do what it did? Chika looked at the creature first. It had grown about as big as Chika’s torso. Its features were more prominent and it’s arms had grown bulkier. It even sprouted tiny legs that were also detached from its body. Then she looked at You. You was completely in a daze just like the president. Her eyes were glossed over with life. Too much life. Was this what the creature did to the president? 

You shook her head and blinked a bit, snapping out of the daze. She looked at Chika then at the creature. You smiled as she spoke. “Well… that was something.” Chika noticed You’s relaxed posture and genuine smile. For some reason, You had stopped pretending to be okay and was now genuinely okay. 

“What happened to you?” asked Chika.

“I don’t know. One second I was freaking out from the string things and the next it was like… It was like I was thrust into somewhere that made me feel really good about myself. That’s the best way I can describe it. I’ve never tried drugs before, but it was like I was in this “high” that didn’t have negative effects.” You stretched her arms out. “Right now, I feel great! It’s like I just woke up from a really long nightmare!”

Chika knew exactly what the creature’s ability was; or at least she thought she did. All the creature did was touch the depressed You, a moment later after being dazed, she became extremely positive. The creature’s ability was to inject positivity into people! No, that couldn’t be... The strings seemed to have been pulsating from You’s forehead to its hand meaning it was actually absorbing something. The creature had also grew in size as it absorbed. The creature’s ability was to absorb negativity and grow, or gain power, through it! If that were the case, it would’ve been fair to assume that the daze that comes with being affected by its ability could be a product of having too much positivity while having no negativity. The glossy eyes were too full of life to have been anything but positivity. It also would have been fair to assume that the daze ends when negativity returns naturally. 

Chika looked at the creature. It was made from something within her which meant that, to some extent, it was a part of her. Perhaps it was even a reflection of her. It was unexpected. If Chika guessed that she would’ve gained an ability as a reflection of her; being able to absorb negativity would’ve been at the bottom of the list. Chika may have been a negative person, but that didn’t mean she enjoyed being negative. Chika wasn’t a kind person either. If she could’ve, she would’ve burned the world. Maybe there was more to the ability? Such as being able to take negativity then transfer it to someone else and the only reason why the creature grew was because it was like some sort of inflatable storage. That seemed plausible to Chika. 

“Chika, I think it has the ability to give positivity! Or something like that.” 

“Maybe.” 

You cocked her head to the side. “Is it just me or… Mmm, you seem more down.” Chika furrowed her brows at the statement. “I mean normally you’re a pretty quiet person but… No offense by the way! I mean earlier you seemed more happy with the puns and now its like you just made a complete one-eighty.”

Chika didn’t feel much different. She felt like how she usually did. The transition from being somewhat outgoing to being normal wasn’t that out of the blue either. Embarrassment was quite the powerful thing. Despite Chika’s objection to You’s observation, she shrugged in response. 

“Of course you would do that.” You smiled at the ground with a sigh before she turned again. “Alright, third time’s the charm. I really do have to go buy groceries. It wasn’t an excuse to just leave, I swear. See ya tomorrow!” 

Chika waved as You waved goodbye. You took several steps before stopping again. “Oh, and, thanks. For trying to cheer me up. I’m kind of bad at hiding my emotions, huh?” You rubbed her neck lightly. “This is kind of out of the blue but… I think you’re a really kind person.” You smiled with unparalleled brilliance before turning and walking away. Chika had to rub her eyes to get rid of her temporary blindness.

Chika watched You walk away before continuing down the road home. The creature followed behind her as she walked. Chika was a kind person? Chika repeated the words in her head over and over. Chika looked up to see five seagulls fly by. Chika doubted You’s words. She was not kind. Chika shook her head. She should think about something else. Oh, she could try and come up with a name for the creature. Now that Chika had time to think about it alone, it was probably a good idea to come up with a name. Conventional names felt wrong so those were out. Maybe she should name it Universe Killer? That was cool sounding. Did it fit though? Did a being that absorbs negativity deserve a name like Universe Killer? Did it even absorb negativity? Again, it’s ability could’ve been transferring negativity. 

Chika felt tired. She didn’t want to think about it anymore. Heh, she was acting quite negative. Maybe something did happen to her when the creature absorbed You’s negativity? It would’ve been great if it could’ve absorb her negativity too. Chika stopped walking. Wait, could it absorb her negativity? It would make sense if its ability is to transfer negativity. Chika faced the creature. 

“Absorb my negativity.” The creature floated up to Chika and tapped her forehead. Chika wondered what it was like being in a daze. You described it as a high without bad consequences. That sounded nice. In fact, it would have been nice. Too bad the creature couldn’t absorb Chika negativity. 

Chika’s eye twitched as the creature continued tapping her forehead. “Okay you can stop now.” The creature stopped tapping her forehead and backed off. 

Chika sighed as she turned and started walking. Apparently it couldn’t absorb her negativity. Well there goes the transferring negativity theory. Well technically it could’ve still been its ability. Nah, it was just an ability she came up with while being sarcastic. It was too specific and convoluted to be an actual ability. Chika assumed that supernatural abilities in real life would’ve been somewhat nonspecific; though she wasn’t entirely sure.

After several more moments of walking, Chika stopped to face the creature again. A thought had occurred to her. How would her family react to it? After all, it looked liked a machine alien that was floating mid-air through magic. 

Chika imagined her sister, Mito, freaking out and calling the police. Shima probably would’ve acted kind towards it before dragging it into an oven and hoping it melted to death. Chika’s migraine flared up at the imaginations. She did not want to deal with it. But how could she hide the creature? Chika couldn’t order it to stay under a tree. It looked like it would’ve followed Chika if she tried putting distance between them. It was like it didn’t have a soul of its own and only knew how to follow Chika… And air boxing but that wasn’t helpful in hiding it. Oh! Didn’t You say it phased out of her? If it could phase out, couldn’t it phase back into her? It was worth a shot. 

Chika opened her mouth to order the creature to phase into her, but before she could; the creature phased into her on its own. Chika backed a bit when it happened. Did she not have vocalize her commands? Perhaps but it could’ve just been a coincidence. Chika did not believe in the chances that it was a coincidence. 

Leave. The creature phased out of her body. Spin in place. The creature spun in place. Stop. The creature stopped. Enter. The creature phased into her. Apparently the creature could read her mind. It made sense when Chika thought about it. It was made from her. 

Chika continued walking down the road. Chika felt weirdly at peace. She wasn’t thinking about the events in the president’s room. She wasn’t thinking about You. She wasn’t thinking about the creature inside of her. She wasn’t even thinking about what was going to happen to her in the future. All she thought about was going home and sleeping. 

Chika arrived at her house and waved to her sister Shima who was watching TV before heading to her room. Chika threw her school bag onto the wall near the door and belly flopped onto her bed. She felt tired, her migraine was throbbing, and she felt the worse she had ever felt in her life.

 

\---

 

Chika woke up to a pillow over her eyes. She lazily shifted the pillow off of them and turned to her side. Chika stayed in bed for another ten minutes before she forced herself to get up. Morning had come, and with it, was the hell of going to school. Chika checked her alarm clock and saw that, despite laying in bed for an extra ten minutes, she was still fifteen minutes ahead of her alarm. Upon seeing this, Chika wanted to hop back into bed but decided against it. She wouldn’t have been able to salvage any more sleep. 

As Chika freshened herself up in the bathroom, her stomach growled. She remembered then that she had slept from the time she came home to the present moment. Chika let out a quiet groan at her family’s reluctance to wake her for supper the previous day. On the bright side, Chika’s migraine was gone and she felt well rested. Perhaps this was a sign that the day was going to be a good one? 

Chika walked into the living room. Chika’s sisters were already up and finishing morning routines as always. Chika wondered if they ever slept. They both greeted her as Mito placed a plate of curry for Chika. Chika responded with a “Good morning” as she sat down and devoured the curry.

Chika’s sisters froze what they were doing and stared as Chika sentenced the food to the pit known as her stomach. Chika eventually noticed the absence of movement and looked at them puzzlingly. “What?”

“Y-Y-” Mito stuttered as she pointed at Chika. Chika pressed her lips together at the action. Suddenly she felt something pounce on her back which caused her to jump in her seat and look back. 

As she did, the creature phased out of her and sent a quick punch down on her attacker’s head. As it retracted it’s fist- no it’s ball… Chika stared at the creature. It had become smaller. Instead of being the size of Chika’s torso, it was back to the size of a small mouse. Chika watched as golden strings pulsated into the creature, making it grow larger. It had grown about half the size of Chika’s head. 

Why did it revert back? Chika didn’t know. She did know, however, that it reverted sometime between the day before when she fell asleep and the current moment. Perhaps it released stored negativity when Chika slept? It would make sense since Chika always felt better after a night’s rest.

Chika took her eyes off the creature when her attacker let out a small noise. Chika noticed then that it was Shima. She looked like she had just recovered from being in a daze. Shima blinked at her surroundings before noticing Chika. She then wrapped her arms around Chika. What was she doing? Did she finally lose her mind and decided she wanted to start a murdering spree starting with Chika? 

“You regained your ability to speak!” Shima hugged Chika tighter. 

“Eh?”

“We thought you would never speak again! We thought some alien took you away and replaced you with a doll!”

“Um-”

Mito came over to the pair and gave Chika a hug too with tears in her eyes as well. The creature phased out of Chika and punched Mito in the head too. Chika didn’t know what her sisters were gonna do to her, but she wasn’t gonna go down without a fight. The creature again grew in size. It was about as large as Chika’s head and shoulders. Mito let a small noise at being hit but seemed mostly unaffected excluding being dazed. A drop of sweat trickled down from the side of Chika’s head. Fighting back was going to be hard. The creature seemed to have thought this too as it phased back into Chika. The little bugger ran! Eventually, Mito snapped out of being dazed and, almost like nothing had ever happened, she re-hugged Chika with more vigor than the previous one. 

“You also woke up early!~” Mito was like a banshee mixed with a monkey when she cried. “My adorable sister is alive!~”

Chika wanted to leave. She slipped up and now she was paying the price for it. She should not have spoken. Why did she speak? Was she just in that good of a mood? Chika’s thoughts were interrupted when her sisters broke away from her. Mito went to the fridge and recovered a tangerine fruit cake while Shima made her way toward the ryokan’s kitchen. Mito noticed and shouted after her. “Dad said to not open the kitchen door!”

“I know!” replied Shima. “I’m just knocking!” Shima banged on the ryokan’s kitchen door and shouted “Chika’s alive dad!”

Mito slapped the plate of curry away from Chika and placed the cake in front of her. “Here. It’s tangerine fruit cake, your favorite. Shima and I bought it when we figured out you were replaced with an imposter. You still like tangerines right? The imposter didn’t like them… But it's fine now! You’re finally back!”

Chika didn’t know if this was an elaborate prank or not. Did they really convince themselves that their sister was an imposter? How old was the cake? Did they really think Chika liked tangerines?  Was that why they kept giving Chika tangerines? As some sort of test? Chika wanted to leave. It was clear her family didn’t accept her. 

As Mito tried to feed Chika the tangerine fruit cake, Chika stood and walked to the door. “Eh… Chika…” Mito had a tone of denial in her voice. Chika stopped beside the air conditioner which had turned on as she did. Shima slowly walked to Chika but stopped when Chika looked back at them. 

Chika’s hair flowed to the side as she pressed her lips together. Shima’s eyes widened and Mito muttered “No… No, no, no, no…” to herself. Chika turned away from them. She wanted to get out of the AC’s way. It was cold. 

As Chika walked out of the Takami household, she heard a round of footsteps that stopped at the door. “Chika!~ Come back!~ I can’t- I can’t lose you again!” Chika kept walking as her sister Mito fell to her knees crying. Shima loomed over her and hugged cradled her in condolence. Chika was not their perfect little sister. 

 

\---

 

Come to think of it, didn’t Shima and Mito see the creature? Chika sat down at her desk as the bell rang. If Chika remembered correctly, the creature phased out of her and punched Shima in the head. Shima obviously felt it but she seemed to disregard it. It was the same story with Mito. Maybe it was invisible to certain people? 

But that didn’t make sense. If it was invisible to other people, how come the president and You were able to see it? Chika’s homeroom teacher entered the room and started taking roll. Chika laid her head down at her desk as the previous day’s events coursed through her head. It was like she was getting hit with a train. It hit her. The events of the previous day hit her. She couldn’t believe they had actually occurred. 

Chika met You Watanabe, she got stabbed in the hand, she fought the student council president, she awakened to a creature made from her… Chika was starting to feel overwhelmed. Why was the freak out happening now? Didn’t she get past it the previous day?

“Chika Takami.”

Chika screamed at her name being called. The class turned their gazes at her which made her blush red. Apparently she didn’t. “Right. Thank you Takami.”

The creature was invisible to Mito and Shima; but You and the president could see it. The president obviously had a power like Chika’s and since You got stabbed by the arrow, she probably had one too. Maybe only people with abilities can see the abilities of other people with abilities? 

Chika picked up a pencil and started doodling on a sheet of paper. Chika didn’t know. It was starting to tire her out. She didn’t want to think about it. 

After what had seemed like an hour, Chika checked the time. Class still had another thirty minutes. Chika sighed to herself. She had doodled fifteen pages worth of costume ideas. None of them looked appealing to her. The president’s words rang through her head. How was she going to make costumes? 

Chika swished a hand into her hair. Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen the president at all. Wasn’t the president going to try and finish her off? Maybe she was busy finishing You off? Chika looked over to where You was sitting. Nope, You was still there and very much alive. Maybe the president really wasn’t trying to kill them? Chika alluded to the possibility but didn’t think about it much. 

Before Chika could ponder the topic further, the door to the classroom slammed open. The teacher stopped talking as a girl with ponytail walked in. She had a pristine look to her; glasses, shiny hair, good posture, a faint glow, everything that screamed “My life is well put together.” 

Chika stared at the girl as she walked into the classroom and bowed with enough force to break her spine. “I’m sorry to interrupt class!” Chika could feel her ears ringing. “However! I have a special letter for a “Chika Takami” and “You Watanabe!” It’s from the Student Council President herself!”  

 

\--- **To Be Continued** →

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys! So that was the chapter. What’d you guys think of it? So I ended up not taking half a year to finish this chapter and instead about two or three weeks which was nice. Though it was supposed to be 2 pages longer than this originally… Anyway, boring chapter I know. I would say next chapter is when we get into the first real fight but I would be lying. Chapter 4 will definitely have the first real fight of the series though. No stand stats this time either. Next chapter we’ll have them. I promise. Welp, other than that… I’mma go. See ya guys later!
> 
>  
> 
> Out of Context Quote of the Chapter: “If she could’ve, she would’ve burned the world.”


	3. Sunshine Story Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey Guys! I hope your ready for another useless A/N. So who is your best girl? I would say mine but… I feel like it’s obvious enough. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter xD.

**Chapter 3: Sunshine Story Part 3**

 

Chika’s family consisted of her, Shima, and Mito. For as long as Chika knew, that was her family. Her mother died when she was a baby and her father always resided in her family ryokan’s kitchen. Mito cooked Chika her meals. Shima shared her things with Chika. During parent-teacher conferences, either Shima or Mito came. Whenever Chika did something bad, Shima or Mito would scold her. Sometimes both of them did at the same time. Chika considered their combined forces hell in physical form, but she appreciated their presence. Her father never came out of the kitchen once.

Perhaps at one point her father’s absence had bothered her. Perhaps it had never bothered her in the first place. After all, Chika considered it normal. Her father being in the kitchen every minute of her life was a normal thing that her father did for reasons unknown to her; and for reasons she didn’t pursue. It was fine if her father was in the kitchen all the time. She had Mito and Shima after all. Her mother meant nothing to her. Chika couldn’t help if she was dead.

However; while the absence of her parents didn’t bother Chika, the same couldn’t be said for her sisters. Chika had heard that at one point, her family was whole. Her father didn’t lock himself in kitchen, her mother was still alive, Shima and Mito didn’t have much responsibility; her family was normal. No one said it to her directly but when Chika was born, it was like everything broke at the seams. Though Shima did tell her that her father started locking himself in the kitchen a year before she was born.

Perhaps at one point, Chika wondered if she wouldn’t have been as apathetic as she was if her family wasn’t broken up. That her father may have inspired a potential career for her, that her mother could’ve taught her how to be more like a “normal” person, that her sisters could do what they actually wanted to do. In the end, Chika had no idea what that kind of life would’ve been like and accepted that the current situation was just as it was.

 

\---

 

Chika had no idea what she was looking at. It looked like it was a crudely made letter but she wasn’t entirely sure. It was a torn page of notebook paper with rips in random places. It looked as if it had been through five tornadoes. Aside from the piece of tornado debris in her hands, the handwriting was neat and clean. Did the president really struggle with tearing the paper out that much? Next to the letter were six club application forms.

“That girl was pretty strange.” You said while eating a tangerine slice. Lunch had come and again, You came to sit by Chika. Did she not have other friends? Chika had not seen You hang out with other people since she met her. “She was pretty loud. Broke the door too. The teacher looked like she wanted to say something but didn’t. Probably out of fear or something.” 

Chika looked at the entrance of her classroom. The sliding door had been ripped from the head rails and was placed on the wall next to it. She sighed at the sight. She still couldn’t believe that such a pristine-looking girl did that just by opening and closing it. Chika’s ears still rang from the loud voice the girl had spoke in. Chika couldn’t describe the amount of surprise and fear she had when the girl approached her with the abomination of material that Chika, at the time, assumed was a murder weapon in disguise. 

“I thought the president sent somebody to kill us.” Chika watched as You finished her fifth tangerine. You was a monster. How could one like tangerines so much? Chika internally voiced her surprise as You pulled out a sixth tangerine. “Well I guess they didn’t kill us but…” You shrugged before pointing at the letter. “Anyway, what does it say? The letter. It was from the president.” 

Chika looked down at the letter. Chika had yet to read the letter. There was an uncertainty that hung over Chika that stopped her from reading it. It had an air of malice around it. Despite that, Chika held up the letter and read it aloud. “Good day ladies.” 

Chika paused before she reread the first three words. The air of malice disappeared as the words sliced it in half. “I would personally go up to the two of you and say this; however, I will not, in fear that you will call the authorities and have me arrested.” Was Chika under the influence of an ultra rare brain disorder that she just discovered? There was no way she actually read what she just read. Why would the president, who casually stabbed them with an arrow, be worried that her victims would call the police on her a day later while having no evidence of it happening? Did she not know about the healing effect of the arrow? 

“Chika?” Chika looked at You who was resting her head on a hand. You looked unphased from the absurd contents of the letter. “Are you going to keep reading or…?”

“Right… right. Um, by now, I’m sure the two of you have discovered your “abilities.” Pretty cool right? There are probably questions you both want to ask; not including the previous one. Technically I asked that. I don’t know all of them but if I were to speculate some of them; they would be “What are these abilities,” “Why did I do what I did,” and “Am I an enemy?” I will answer the third question first. I’m interested; therefore, I will not oppose you. I am not an ally though.”

“The president sure likes her formality. Though I guess she is the student council president for a reason.” Formality? That was formality? The language sounded formal and the handwriting was neat but the contents were far from formal. Who writes down their entire thought process including when they second-guess themselves? Chika let out another internal groan when You took out a seventh tangerine from her school bag. 

“Mhm.” Why did Chika agree? There was no way Chika was going to accept the letter as “formal.” Wait, why was Chika thinking about a formality? The president just revealed she was an “ally.” Chika had a twinge of doubt. If the president was an ally, why would she stab them with the arrow? Chika kept the question in the back of her head; remembering that the president had listed the arrow stabbing as a question she was going to answer. Chika kept reading. 

“I will answer the first question now. Those abilities you have are called “stands.” Chika glanced up at You expecting interruption. You looked at her hands with lazy eyes. It was then Chika noticed there was something off about You. You seemed tired. Perhaps the events from the day before really bothered You? 

You returned her focus to Chika and noticed Chika was staring at her. “Hmmm… So I guess the president does know about the supernatural elements of the arrow and stuff huh? I wonder where she got the name though. Maybe she made it up on the spot?” You flashed a quick smile that faded as fast as it came. 

“Are you okay?” Chika asked. 

“Yeah.” You lifted her head off of her hand as she put on a small smile. “I am a bit tired though. I ran up my usual mountain course four times this morning. First time in a while I improved my record before having to go to school.” 

Chika nodded her head. It seemed like You was fine. Perhaps she woke up earlier than usual? It was a random explanation to an unimportant occurrence but Chika found herself “questioning” it a bit. You rubbed one of her eyes. Chika looked back down at the letter in hopes of avoiding the thoughts of what it would’ve been like having tangerine juice seep into your eyes. When Chika could feel the thoughts encroaching upon her, she decided to continue reading.

“They can take the form of anything and have the abilities to do anything. Usually their potential are endless but there are universal characteristics that all stands share. To be brief about them, imagine that stands are silent ghosts that haunt you relentlessly. Nothing can touch them, but they can touch everything. They are invisible to everyone except for those that have a stand themselves. Because they haunt you, you could say that they are bound to you meaning anything that happens to you, happens to them, and vice versa.”

“Can you skip ahead Chika? These are things that we kind of already figured out.” 

“That was it. I already read the entire section.”

“Oh.”

Chika looked down to continue reading and as she did, You returned her focus back to her hands. Chika noticed and looked back up at You. What was going on? You seemed more uninterested than usual. It was weird considering how important the letter was, despite it’s goofiness. You did seem like the person who was interested in anything, no matter how stupid. Was she that tired? 

You lightly blew on her hands and crinkled her brows. Perhaps You was inattentive towards the letter because something else was taking her attention? You did seem very interested in her hands. Chika looked at You’s hands as You blew on them more. Was there something on them? 

Chika squinted her eyes. As Chika did, she noticed it. There seemed to be a light mist around them. Chika could barely make it out; she wasn’t even sure if the mist was real. As You blew on her hands, the mist moved away but then slowly returned. As far as Chika knew, mist did not do that. You glanced up at Chika who was questioning the nature of mist in her mind. Chika noticed and looked back down at the letter and continued reading. 

“Now on to why I did what I did with the arrow. It’s getting late on my end so I’ll try and speed through this. Let’s say that the Love Live tournament has gotten more competitive since μ's won it five years ago. Having stands is necessary if you want to be school idols.” 

Chika noticed You perk up slightly. “What do you think she means by ‘more competitive?”

“No clue.” Chika responded. “But it’s kind of strange if special powers are necessary to combat the competition.” 

Why were special powers that defied the laws of physics needed in order to become a school idol? As far as Chika knew, being a school idol didn’t mean being a real life superhero. 

“Maybe the competition started to involve something like… murder?” You had a smile plastered on her face. Chika didn’t understand the joke. 

“Maybe... “ Chika trailed off. Murder could have been a possibility. It seemed ridiculous but so was the whole premise of special powers. The powers also seemed to have some sort of “combat” element added to them as well. The president most likely had a stand. From what Chika observed, its ability didn’t seem combat oriented but it did “strengthen” the president. Chika gently touched the area around her liver. 

Chika’s own ability also had a sort of “combat” to it. If the creature, or stand, grew the more negativity it absorbed; it would be fair to assume it would gain additional physical power. If Chika thought about it, the daze effect of the ability also had a combat related purpose as it did leave the target vulnerable. Chika had no clue what You’s ability was, if she even received one, but it was probably combat-related  to some extent. 

However, school idols weren’t about violence. It would make no sense for murder to occur between school idols. They were about bringing positivity, not death. School idols may sometimes compete, but it should not result in the possibility of murder. Even famous sports such as basketball and football don’t result in death, most of the time. 

“Hey Chika; random question, but how famous is Love Live?” 

“Mmmm, I don’t know. It’s famous enough to where the stage for the finals of the competition is at Tokyo dome. I’ve also heard some of the winners from the past few years became professional singers, idols, or performers too.”

“So if we want to win, we gotta really try huh?”

“Mhm.”

Chika didn’t know what to think of the maniacal smile painted onto You’s face as she finished her eighth tangerine with a ferocious jerk of her head. All of a sudden, You seemed motivated. Perhaps she was a competitive person? It would help explain her extreme athleticism and perseverance in running up a mountain in the mornings. Maybe she was on the track team?

“Alright let’s finish up the letter. Lunch is about to end.” You took out two more tangerines as Chika went to finish reading the letter. 

“I hope this doesn’t dissuade you from becoming school idols. It would be a brob- uh brob… ding… na… gan? Gian? disappointment if you stopped after showing so much determination. Note: brobdingna- whatever means gigantic. I learned it online a couple hours ago and I was dying to use it.”

Chika should’ve been used to the goofiness of the letter, but she wasn’t. Who puts notes about what a word meant? Sure, Chika didn’t know the word meant before it but this was ruining the intimidating image the president had. Wasn’t that a good thing though? Chika sighed as she couldn’t come up with a good enough argument against the question. Before Chika finished the letter, she glanced down at You who was focused on her hands again. 

“Chika?” You suddenly spoke up as she tensed and untensed her hands. “Your power- err, stand; it can give positive emotions right?”

“Maybe. Actually, I think it absorbs negative emotions. Yesterday when it touched you, there were these golden strings that seemed to have been sucking something out of you.”

“Oh.” You glanced downwards. Chika recognized the type of the look You had. Chika had seen it before. It was a look of disappointment. Maybe there was even a hint of envy? “I’ve been thinking. You said that the arrow created these stands right? It took something from inside us and made these stands right? I don’t think the arrow took anything “tangible.” I don’t feel any organ, limb, skin, or any body part missing.”

Chika picked up on You’s wording. You had said “I.” Did she have a stand? “When I got stabbed in the neck, I died.” Chika had almost let You’s words run over her head. Did she just say she “died?”

“Well for a short while. I know I’m alive right now since… Anyway, I died. I know I did. My body felt cold, numb, and almost light. I feel like at one point, I even saw my own body from above. When I saw my body, I felt like I “accepted” it. Since I don’t ca-” You bit on her own tongue and smiled awkwardly when Chika jumped forward with concern. 

“I felt like I “accepted” it until I saw you on the ground with the president looming over you. I feel like, that was when I started to panic. That was when I “didn’t accept” it. I don’t know why. I’ve only known you for a day and, yet, I had a sudden desire to help you. When I felt the desire, I felt myself almost “teleport” back into my body. Suddenly, I wasn’t dead anymore. And I felt this sense of “power” and “determination.” 

You clenched her hands into fists. “I felt like something inside of me manifested into something with form. Chika, I think stands are a physical representation of one’s willpower.”

Chika nodded as You looked at her expectantly. It wasn’t news to Chika. She had already figured it out the day before. “And one’s psyche.” Now that was something Chika hadn’t figured out the day before. 

“Psyche?” Chika cocked her head to the side. Chika understood willpower since Chika did summon her stand when she felt “strong” multiple times, but psyche? There was nothing that suggested that they had to do with the psyche.

“Like the type of person you are. How you think, feel, etc.” You explained. Chika opened her mouth to speak, but You interrupted her. “Bring out your stand.” 

“Eh?”

“I don’t think people are going to be able to see it.” Chika had no problem with bringing out her stand. She already knew people couldn’t see her stand from when her sisters couldn’t, but how could You know that? Did You have a stand? When did You awaken it? What did it look like? What was its ability? In the back of Chika’s mind, she was also asking how her bringing out her stand was going to prove the psyche theory. You stared at her with expectation. Chika’s stand phased out of her and floated above the desk.

You stared at it for a moment. “It seems a bit smaller.”

“It actually reverted back to its original size when I woke up this morning. I did absorb the negativity of my sisters though.”

“Oh.” You closed her eyes for a moment before she tentatively reached out for Chika’s stand. Chika expected You’s hand to pass through it, and let out a small “eh” when it didn’t. Last time, You’s hand went through it; so how come it didn’t this time? Was she like the president? As far as Chika knew, the president was the only one who could touch her stand barehanded. 

“You really are a kind person, Chika.” Chika had no clue what You was rambling about now. “If I’m going to be honest, I feel disappointed.”

You withdrew her hand as Chika let her stand phase back into her. “I thought, maybe…” You trailed off. “Chika what do you think of me? A bit random and personal so I understand if you don’t wanna answer but…”

“I-I think you’re a bit weird. I don’t know how anyone can eat so many tangerines, or run up a mountain four times, or be so accepting. I also don’t know why that person is hanging out with me. I kind of place you on a pedestal, and I’m a bit grateful. Oh, and I think you’re kind… too...”

You was glancing downward with a poker face and looked back up at Chika when she finished talking. You put on a small smile. “I say stands are a reflection of the psyche with your stand as evidence. I think your stand represents your kindness.”

“I don’t know why you keep going on about “my kindness.” I’m not ki-” Chika felt herself snap a bit before she was cut off.

“You should take me off that pedestal though.” You said in a sharp voice. “I’m not the type of person you think I am.”

“Eh? Why? Okay wait-” As Chika started to speak, You shook her head violently. “Um…”

You stopped with as she clapped her hands onto her face. Chika could barely hear it, but she heard You whisper to herself “Stop making this a big deal.” Chika didn’t know if it was directed at her or at You. “Maybe you should absorb my negativity again Chika? I’m going through a huge mood right now.” You put on a huge smile. 

Chika didn’t know if You was serious. Chika activated her stand which caused You to jerk back. “Wait, I wasn’t serious!” 

“Oh.” Chika deactivated her stand and pressed her lips together in awkward embarrassment. 

“Oh yeah. Have you named your stand?” 

“Not yet.”

You walked up to the ceiling while tapping her chin. A smile crept up onto her face. “Maybe you should name it “De Orange Black?” 

“I don’t get it.”

“Your stand is black and it has a tangerine design on it. By the way, that tangerine design is quite questionable for someone who “doesn’t like tangerines.” 

“It’s not a tangerine design.” Chika averted her eyes as You suspiciously eyed Chika. “I refuse to believe it's a tangerine design.”

You closed her eyes with a smile still on her face. “Maybe you can name it after “shining?” I mean you do talk about shining a lot.”

“Maybe.”

You looked up at the clock. “I think you should finish up the letter. Lunch is going to end in three minutes.” Chika nodded.

“Anyhow, I won’t get in your way; but I will require that you gather four more members for your group before I approve your club. I have given you the forms beforehand. Good luck.”

You reached over and grabbed one of the forms. She gave it a quick readover before she folded it in half and stuffed it into her bag. “So I guess we’re going to have to go member hunting later huh?” 

Chika took the remaining five forms and stuffed them into her bag. Chika sighed at the prospect of having to gain more members. She hoped it could’ve just been her and You. Duo idols weren’t rare in Love Live so it wouldn’t have been that much of a problem. Having more members wasn’t a bad thing, it was just… yeah, no; it was a bad thing. If there was one thing Chika learned about herself from her interactions with You, it would’ve been that she was not good with people. 

Chika stared at You as she sorted through her pile of tangerine corpses. You had a little grin on her face. It was almost as if the exchange between her and Chika never happened. Speaking about the exchange, what was up with that? Why was You so vague? Why was she so out of character today? For the first time, Chika felt like You was shrouded in mystery.

You noticed Chika staring at her and smiled. “What? Is there something pulchritudinous about me?”

“Pulch- what?”

“Pulchritudinous. It means beauty. We learned it during english class today while you were dozing off.” Chika stared at You with an “Are you kidding me?” look. You clenched a hand to her chest and stared at the floor dramatically. “I-I-I thought I looked nice. I spent so long improving my look for you after all.” 

Chika wanted to leave. “As payment for hurting my feelings…” You reached into her bag and took out an eleventh tangerine. “You have to eat this.”

Chika really wanted to leave. “Okay, okay. Fine. You don’t have to eat the whole thing, but you have to eat one slice!” With masterful handwork, You peeled the tangerine in the blink of an eye and took out a slice. “Alright! Come, come!”

Chika shook her head in refusal. You bit her lower lip. “B-B-But I love you! I sacrificed so much, all for you! Yet… I guess you don’t love me back…”

Damn right. Chika may have appreciated You’s friendship but she didn’t love You. Chika would rather slit her throat with a blunt tree branch than eat a tangerine. Chika crossed her arms and shook her head again. You dropped the dramatics and sighed. You stuffed the entire tangerine, except the one slice, into her mouth and devoured it in seconds. 

“Boring.” Chika furrowed her brows slightly as You brought the slice up to her mouth. Did she just say “boring?” You looked somewhat disappointed. 

The bell rang, signifying the end of lunch. As it did, Chika made the split second decision to stand up, reach over, grab the tangerine slice from You’s hand, and pop into her mouth. Chika speed-chewed it before swallowing. Chika stared down at the floor in an attempt to hide her facial reaction to the tangerine’s acerbity. 

Chika pressed her lips together as You got up with a smile. “You’re weird too.” Chika glanced up at You after hearing what she muttered. You put a hand up to her mouth. “Owo! That was quite romantic!~ You do care about me!~”

Chika could feel her body rejecting the tangerine. Chika focused her energy into keeping it inside of her as You teased Chika. Eventually, You left to her seat as the teacher came in. Chika sat herself down as well, and soon class was underway. 

Chika rested her head on the palm of her hand. Chika could smell the fruity scent exuding from her fingertips. It wasn’t as sour as Chika thought it was going to be.

 

\---

 

Chika walked along the coast of the ocean as she made her way home. The sun started to set, which painted the seashore in a vibrant mix of oranges, reds, and purples. For the past three hours, Chika had wandered around town with no clear goal. She could’ve gone home but she wasn’t in the mood. There were times when Chika prefered to walk around aimlessly. There was a strange calmness that came with it.

Chika walked along the coast alone. If You hadn’t gone to do other things after school, she and Chika probably would have failed an attempt to recruit members and be walking home together. Chika wondered what You had to do but ultimately assumed she had track practice, or something relating to sports.

The ocean sparkled with bright gleams as the sun sank under it slowly. The clouds were messy with red watercolor. The reddish-brown sand crunched underneath Chika’s shoes quietly as she walked on. The alluring view of the sunset captured Chika’s attention completely. The ocean sun never failed to every time Chika had the chance to view it. There was something about it that spoke to her. It made her feel calm; like things were going to work out in the end no matter what. There was a strange fuzz that built up inside of her every time. Chika, in her past, never knew it was; however, as the fuzz built up inside of her, she recognized it. There was a desire being built up. 

Chika had no idea what the desire was. Her first guess would have been to shine, and while it didn’t feel completely wrong, it wasn’t completely right either. It was a type of longing to become something- no to do something… err, Chika wasn’t exactly sure but it had to do with taking some sort of action. 

As the sun set further, it reached the “apex” of its shine. The ocean lit up into flames as the clouds became their own ocean. Chika slowed to a stop as the scenery glowed around her. A light breeze brushed by as the world was painted by a flood of paint. The world behind her blackened before the brilliance in front of her. 

“Pretty.” Chika thought she had said it out loud. 

The breeze pushed against her with tropical warmth. A faint scent of salt, dust, and plant filled her nose. It seemed as if it was pushing her to look away. For a split second, Chika complied. She turned her head to her right, and in the split second, she saw a red-haired girl standing at a small dock. Chika looked back at the ocean sun, thinking nothing of the girl. As Chika did, she saw a small glimpse of the girl taking off her shirt in her peripherals. 

Chika snapped her head back toward the girl as she undressed into a swimsuit. No way. It’s still April. Is that girl crazy? Was she a victim of bullying who had decided to commit suicide? Perhaps she was a delinquent who had gotten drunk and thought the ocean was a giant pool of happiness? Maybe she was just going to take a photoshoot. By herself. Maybe Chika should go and stop her while she still could. It seemed like a great plan as Chika dropped her bag and sprinted toward the dock. 

But was it Chika’s right to intercept the girl? Chika smacked herself as she willed her legs to move faster. The red-haired girl inhaled a deep breath before she sprinted toward the end of the dock. Chika’s legs were light as they carried her through the shore with a speed Chika never knew she could reach. 

Just as the red-haired girl reached the end of the dock, Chika outstretched her arms. Chika wasn’t going to reach her. She was still too far by a couple of inches. If only her arms were longer. Just then, two black arms phased out of Chika’s arms and wrapped themselves around the girl. The arms didn’t stop the girl completely; however, they did delay her movement enough for Chika herself to grab ahold of the girl. 

“Wait! You’ll die! You’re going to die!” Chika screamed as she held back the girl as best as she could. 

“Let go! I must go!” The girl retorted as she struggled against Chika’s curtailment. 

As the girl started to wiggle out of Chika’s hug of restraint, Chika leg caught with the girl’s. The loss of balance freaked Chika out as she lunged forward in an attempt to find new balance. Instead, she met empty air as the two tumbled into the darkening, blue ocean. 

Chika had gulped two mouthfuls of water as she flipped in the murky, chilly water. Her skin prickled as the cold sapped the heat from her body. “Chilly. Frigid. Glacial. Frosty. Wintry. Cold.” 

Chika had attempted to open her eyes multiple times, resulting in light needle stings. “Dark. Murky. Inky. Gloomy. Dull. Tragic.”

Chika flailed her arms and legs as her chest burned with an itch. Chika coughed as sea water filled her lungs. She was confused. She was disorientated. “Help. Aid. Assistance. Guidance. Solution. Succor. Advice. Support.”

As numbness took Chika hostage, a force slapped onto Chika’s hand. The cold scratched at her as something dragged her in a direction. “Insurgence. Genesis. Emergence. Inception. Insurrection.”

Chika broke through the surface of the water and landed onto the warm sand. As Chika’s nose and mouth became free from the water, Chika took in a short breath before she started coughing violently. Chika could feel drops of water escape from her throat as she curled up slightly. Eventually, Chika threw up. 

A cold breeze flowed by Chika causing her to grow stiff from the cold. She breathed heavily as a musty taste loomed on her tongue. Chika clamped her eyes shut as vile UV rays invaded them. Her ears rung with varying frequencies. She felt like crap. Chika touched the top of her head and smiled for a brief moment as she felt her ahoge still standing proud. It made her feel better to know her physics defying ahoge reigned supreme.

After several painful minutes, Chika slowly forced herself to stand. As she did, she heard the ungodly noise of vomiting beside her. She jumped slightly; narrowly avoiding the incoming stomach bile. 

The red-haired girl lightly patted her stomach as she fell clumsily onto the sand. Chika looked around as the girl choked on air. The sun had mostly set as the sky turned bluer. The sand was back to its grayish-brown color. The clouds were whitish blue. The sea had lost its sparkles and looked like the murky abyss of a monster’s stomach. 

Chika turned to face the red-haired girl as she struggled to sit. Chika could hear the chattering of her teeth as she sluggishly got into a sitting position. Chika almost wanted to run up to the girl and kick in her in the face as hard as she could. Chika took in a deep breath in an effort to contain herself. It wasn’t nice to kick somebody in the face. Perhaps she wasn’t a local?

“There are plenty of diving shops if you want to go diving.” Chika said as the girl sneezed. “You should probably do it in summer though as the water is way too cold right now. Though, I hear there are ways to be warm enough for cold water diving.”

“I know.” The girl replied as she curled up. 

“Then… why did try to go diving by yourself in a swimsuit?” Chika was astonished by her ability to speak. Did being cold and feeling like crap fill her with this much confidence?

“I wanted to hear the sound of the ocean.”

“The sound of the ocean?”

“Yeah.”

Chika had no idea what the girl was talking about. What was the sound of the ocean? Chika had never heard of it. Was it a Numazu thing? No, there was no way it was; otherwise Chika would’ve known about it. Then again, Chika didn’t know a lot about the world; let alone her own town. “What’s the sound of the ocean?”

The girl didn’t answer as she started shivering violently. Chika almost felt sorry for her. While Chika was cold too, at least she was wearing her uniform; unlike the girl who wore a swimsuit. Chika didn’t do anything as she waited for the girl to stop shivering though. When the girl eventually stopped, she didn’t answer Chika’s question. In response to the silence, Chika asked again. The girl lowered her head slightly. Perhaps she didn’t want to answer the question? That was fine with Chika.

“Alright. Why do you want to hear the sound of the ocean?” The girl curled up into a tighter ball in silence. Perhaps the girl didn’t want to answer any of Chika’s questions. Chika sighed. “Fine. I won’t ask anymore.”

Chika knew from the moment the words left her mouth, she was going to ask another question. “Is the sound of the ocean the sound water makes? Actually… How would you hear under the ocean? I mean you could probably hear the water pressure but I doubt you could hear anything else.”

The girl chuckled briefly. “I don’t know. I just heard about it from some classmates.” Both of them sneezed as a light breeze blew by. Chika could feel her hands trying to clamp. “I’m trying to compose a piano piece, but I can’t grasp the image of an oceanic song.”

“But you hear music, not see it.” Chika could feel her “smartass” side coming out. 

The girl seemed to jerk at Chika’s comment. Chika thought it was her cringing because of the cold until the girl looked back at Chika with annoyed eyes. “Excuse me?”

“Sorry, sorry. It’s a joke. My mind tends to wander when I’m freezing to death. I didn’t mean anything.” Chika responded hastily. She knew those eyes. They were the type of eyes ready to argue to the death. Chika did not want to deal with it, even in her confident cold phase. The girl seemed to calm down a bit, though she continued glaring daggers into Chika. Chika could feel the tension of the daggers burrowing into her. “Uh… W-Wow, so you compose music? And for the piano? That’s cool. I bet you’re the best piano player in Numazu right? Do you go to a- uh, the- no it’s a...  highschool here?” Chika wanted to hurl herself into the ocean and let herself die of hypothermia. 

“I’m from Tokyo.” 

“Eh? You came all the way out here for this?”

“Mhm.”

“I didn’t expect you to actually say yes…” 

“Well, actually…” The girl trailed off. 

“What’s your name?” Chika asked as she sat beside the girl. She had no idea why she was extending the conversation. Perhaps the girl interested Chika? Chika mentally sighed as she realized her slow change into a social person. Chika blamed You. 

“Riko. Riko Sakurauchi.” Riko Sakurauchi? The name sounded familiar to Chika. Where had she heard it before? “What’s yours?”

“Chika Takami.” Chika remembered where she had heard the girl’s name. You mentioned it the day before. Wasn’t she the transfer student? Riko started rubbing her knees as silence overtook them. Chika couldn’t back out now. Well technically she could, and she should but… Chika didn’t feel right doing it. There was something inside of her that made her stay. Chika cursed her being for torturing her like this. 

Chika rampaged through her mind to find a topic. Riko was from Tokyo? Perhaps Chika could talk about someone or something from Tokyo?  μ's  was from Tokyo. Chika found the topic she was searching for and slammed them onto her vocal cords. “Have you heard of school idols?”

“School idols?”

“Yeah, there are a lot of famous groups from Tokyo right?” 

“What are you talking about?”

“Huh?” Chika wanted to swallow a mouthful of sand until she choked to death. The one topic Chika felt like she could talk about was unknown to Riko. No! Don’t give up! Explain what they are to her! “You don’t know them? They live as idols at school and enter competitions.”

“Are they famous?”

“They are really famous! Finalists get to perform at the Tokyo Dome. Though, I’ve recently found out about them too.” 

“I see. I’ve only concentrated on piano so I don’t know about those kinds of things.”

“Hm… Do you want to see a video of them?”

“Hm?”

Chika fished around her skirt before looking around her. After several moments, Chika realized her phone was still in her bag. “Actually nevermind. I don’t have my phone.” 

“Oh.” The girl pressed her lips together. Chika did the same as the conversation died. “Oh, um, you like school idols? Are you one?”

“Um… Sort of.” 

“Sort of?”

“I want to become one but… the student council president at my school won’t allow me to establish a school idol club. I need six people.”

“How many people do you have right now?”

“Two. Including myself.” Chika could feel her chest cracking as she admitted the insurmountable odds stacked against her. Chika dreaded the pain and time it would take to recruit four more people. 

“That’s not favorable…” Riko started rubbing her arms. 

“I know right.” Chika slumped forward. You may be a powerful angel, but was she enough to lure in four more members? Chika wouldn’t have been able to do anything. After all, her sign didn’t work. If her sign didn’t work, how could she recruit members? Chika may have been able to speak to You okay; but unless they sprayed her with cold water, Chika was never going to speak to other people. 

“So are you going to give up?”

“Eh?”

“Are you going to give up? You don’t seem like the most persuasive person. Plus you might get bored of it even if you do recruit four more members. Doing the same thing again and again for people who don’t care. People are hard to convince.” Chika watched as Riko glanced downward. “Sorry. I, um…”

Riko was right. Chika wasn’t the most talkative person, let alone a persuasive one. Chika was already dreading the thought of having to recruit four people. Plus Chika might actually get bored of it if she did recruit four people. Chika did have no desire or goal in life. Why was being a school idol going to change that? Maybe Chika should give up. Oh who is Chika is fooling? 

“Do you think school idols have to be pretty and talented?” 

“Huh?”

“I would’ve thought so. I mean they are idols. To be honest, something like this wouldn’t interest me. It’s all just so dull. That is until I saw a particular group named  μ's perform. I would show you physical proof but I don’t have my phone on me so you’ll just have to believe me when I say that they are the most normal looking girls ever.”

“Normal looking?”

“Yup, normal looking. I was shocked.” The sun faded further below the ocean, stealing the light from the world. “To have concentrated on piano like you, or been absorbed in something you love. To have a dream of what you want to become. I never had that.”

Chika stood to her feet, picked up a rock, and threw it upon the surface of the ocean. The rock skidded zero times before it was swallowed up by the ocean. Chika paused as she witnessed the stone’s cold fall. Did that just happen? How could she screw it up like that? No! Remain calm! “So that’s why, when I saw μ's performing that day… it captured my attention. That normal people like them were smiling as they performed. That normal people like them could get other people smiling as they performed. That normal people like them could make people feel like there was no negativity in the world.”

Chika turned to Riko who was covered in shadows. Holy crap! When did it get so dark? Chika bit on her lower lip to compose herself. “I want to be like them. I want to reach out for the same goals like them. I want to shine like them.” Chika slowly walked toward Riko who looked up at her. A crazy idea entered her head as soon as she finished her speech. A part of her rejected it, but most of her didn’t. Chika reached out a numb hand to Riko. “Do you want to be a school idol with me?”

Riko stared at Chika dumbfoundingly. “What?”

“Do you want to be a school idol with me?” Did Chika seriously ask it twice?

“Um… I’ll respectfully decline.”

“Eh?”

 

\---

 

“Why do you smell like the ocean ate you up then barfed you out?” Mito asked as Chika entered her home. She had just stepped into her house and Mito was already patting her down, searching for nonexistent injuries. Did she smell that bad? “Oh my god… Why're you so cold? It’s like I’m physically touching your silence!”

Before Chika could question why that was the analogy Mito decided to use, she was stripped and thrown into a steaming hot shower. To say her skin felt like it was burning off was an understatement. Chika was a lot colder than she thought she was. 

After enduring the pain of having her body warm up, Chika stayed in the shower. She was alone and in a comfortable place. She could already feel her mind wandering. The first thing that popped into her head was obvious. How did her “I Want To Shine” speech fail? Did it not have the same effect because it became night time? Was it because Chika was too vague? Maybe it was because Chika messed up the stone throw?

Chika squatted down as she held her head in frustration. She was sure the speech was going to work. It worked on You after all. “Ah.” Chika figured out the problem. The speech didn’t work because You wasn’t with her! How could Chika forget such a crucial part? Stupid Chika, stupid Chika, stupid Chika!

Embarrassment welled up inside of Chika as she remembered the awkward goodbye her and Riko shared after she asked Riko to become a school idol. It wouldn’t have happened if You was there. Ugh! What did You have to do that was so important? Couldn’t she have skipped? She does run up a mountain in the mornings. If only You was there.

But what would have You being there accomplished? That was a good question. What would have You accomplished? Sure You, could’ve used her powerful angel powers; and act as living proof that the “I Want To Shine” speech was effective, but would that have been enough? No! Surely that would’ve been enough! Surely…

What if Chika’s “I Want to Shine” speech wasn’t actually effective? Chika could feel her mind break at the thought of it. No, no, no, no, no. That can’t be. The speech works. The. Speech. Works. If the speech doesn’t work, does that mean Chika’s dream to be a shining school idol is false? Something she made up as a last ditch effort to have a life? Perhaps this entire time-

“Chika stop wasting the hot water! Get out!” Chika turned the shower off as soon as she heard the screeching of Mito with four loud bangs on the door. Chika quickly dried herself off before wearing comfy clothes. She exited the bathroom shortly after.

In the living room, Shima had set a plate of seafood onto a table. Chika walked over and sat before it. “Sorry Chika. Mito and I already ate dinner so you’re gonna have to eat it by yourself.” 

It didn’t matter much. Shima and Mito were most likely going to stay nearby and watch Chika eat like two stalkers. As Chika dug into the plate of food, Mito went over to switch on the TV. “... And now for coverage on an alleged murder in Sendai. A witness reported a murder on April twenty fourth at about…”

“How is it Chika? It’s a new dish I’ve been practicing the past week. Is it too salty? Bitter?” Chika hunched over her food as Shima reached over towards it. Chika would’ve hissed too but she had food in her mouth.

“... The victim is a seventeen year old highschool girl…”

“Uwah… This is like the sixth murder victim in the past three weeks.” Chika peeked over to the TV as it showed a reporter on screen. 

“... school idol. Police are suspecting that a series of murders called the “School Idol Murders” from two years ago are on a rise again…”

“Oh geez… I hope not. Shima, do you remember that time a couple years ago when there were these mass murders across Japan?” Mito asked.

“Yes. That was quite a scary time.” Shima replied. Shima looked at Chika who had just finished her dinner. “Chika you know about them right?”

Chika shook her head “no” as Shima snatched the empty plate and took it to the seat. It sounded familiar. Chika racked her brain as she tried to remember where she had heard about “School Idol Murders.” Perhaps Chika felt like she knew it because of the words “school idol?” 

“During the last few years of highschool for Mito and I, there were these mass murders happening around Japan. They called them the “school idol murders” because all of the victims were either school idols or fans of school idols.” Chika remembered then why it felt familiar to her. She had read an article about it when she researched μ's a few nights ago. 

“They were warning everybody to be careful; even if they weren’t related to school idols in case the murderer, or murderers, decided to switch their targets.” Shima had finished washing the dish and walked back to the table. “If I remember correctly, there were three murders here in Numazu. All of them were highschool girls. It was a really scary time for your older sisters. Thankfully, neither of us got into an encounter though.”

Perhaps that was what the president warned Chika and You about in the letter? It was a random thought that Chika haphazardly pieced together. If the “School Idol Murders” were on a rise again, perhaps the president gave Chika a stand because of it? It seemed plausible though Chika had no evidence. The president did state that the “competition had gotten more competitive” but that wouldn’t fit in with the murders being linked to a band of murderers. Unless there was something else that was causing the murders…

“Anyway, Chika; if the murders are on a rise again, you better be careful okay? Make sure you get back home before night time. Don’t start sneaking out because you’re getting older okay?” Chika could see a glimmer of hope in Shima’s eyes. Was Shima’s desire for Chika to be more “social” that strong? Did she really care about it more than the possibility of Chika getting murdered? Chika pressed her lips together as she sent a judging stare toward Shima.

“Oh yeah! Why were you so smelly and cold when you came home?” Mito snapped and pointed at Chika. Mito’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Don’t tell me you found yourself a… boyfri-”

How did she come to that conclusion? Chika sent her cold stare at Mito which quieted her down. Her shoulders slumped as her hopes crushed beneath the weight of Chika’s silent stare. 

“I tripped on a small ditch on the beach.” Chika said.

“Oh. It’s good to look ahead but don’t forget to look down occasionally okay?” Mito did the “ok” hand sign which Chika returned. Mito turned to face the TV before snapped her head back toward Chika. Her eyes widened as her bottom lip quivered. Shima quickly followed suit and the two of them pointed shaking fingers at Chika. 

Before the two of them could speak, Chika got up to her feet and walked to her room. Chika figured she should have one of them sign the club form. “You’re spe-”

“Shhhh!” Shima covered Mito’s mouth as Chika left. Chika didn’t know what the two did in the brief time Chika was away but from the barbarian screeches they made in the living room; they were probably freaking out about Chika speaking. 

When Chika returned into the living room with the club application in hand, Mito had finished tying a balloon to the table. A fresh tangerine cake sat in the middle of the table with eight circles of candles. Wait, who puts eight circles of candles on a cake? How does one even put eight circles of candles on a cake? Mito had a party hat on and a four poppers in her hands. When she saw Chika, she popped all four poppers at once.

“Did you just pop them without me?!” Shima shrieked from across the room. Shima had a party hat on too and was steps away from the ryokan’s kitchen. 

“Sorry! I saw Chika and impulse caused me to pop them!” Mito shrieked back. Why were they shrieking? Did they have a reason? “Oh yeah Shima! Don’t open the kitchen door! Dad doesn’t like it!”

“I don’t care if he doesn’t like it! This is an important event and dad is GOING to be here to witness it!” Shima banged on the kitchen door with the force of a shotgun. Chika watched as Shima beat on the poor door with the wrath of a thousand suns. 

“Chika; come, come!” Mito walked over to Chika with a party hat. “We thought you speaking this morning was a once-in-a-lifetime thing, but to hear you speak again… You don’t know how relieved this makes us!”

Chika dodged and weaved through Mito as Mito tried to put the party hat on Chika. “Chika, let me put this on you.” Chika shook her head as she intercepted Mito’s hand with a crossed arm block. “Oh ho ho ho!~ Look at you trying to fight back. Your guard was impressive… But you are an infinite number of years too young to defeat me!” 

Mito grabbed one of Chika’s arms, pulled her with the force of a gorilla, and pinned Chika under her arm. As Chika struggled to get out of Mito’s grip, Mito placed the party hat on top of Chika’s head. “Now... Speak for us! Speak! Let us hear your voice!” Mito released Chika from her grip and rose her hands into the air with closed eyes as she laughed maniacally. 

Chika slipped behind Mito and knocked the party hat off of her head. She was in deep shit now. Mito stopped laughing and slowly turned to face Chika. “You dare defy me-” Mito was interrupted by the sound of a scream. Both Chika and Mito turned to face the source of it. It came from the ryokan’s kitchen. 

“Shima!” Mito dashed toward the ryokan’s kitchen. Chika followed as a fuzz developed in her belly. Chika was five meters away from the kitchen. The scream belonged to Shima.  Perhaps she was screaming because of her father’s shadowed face? Maybe something happened like her father threw a knife in surprise? If her father didn’t like having the kitchen’s door open, perhaps he got freaked out when Shima pounded the door open? The guesses didn’t feel right to Chika. Shima’s scream was too shrill.

Chika was three meters away. Why did her father lock himself into the ryokan’s kitchen? It was a weird question that didn’t bother Chika much as she growed up. To her, it was a normal thing that all fathers did. Except You’s. Didn’t You say her father was the captain of a ship? Chika remembered it from her very first encounter from You. If that was the case, wouldn’t that mean her father didn’t shut himself in the kitchen? Did that mean Chika’s father was doing something out of the norm? Wait, perhaps You’s father locked himself inside the ship’s kitchen?

Chika arrived in front of the ryokan’s kitchen. The large metallic doors were open. Mito stood in front of Chika and was freaking out over something on the ground. Why was Chika’s mom not around? Why was she dead? Chika didn’t know what she was asking at the moment. She was asking herself a question that she had never asked herself ever in her life. She died shortly after Chika was born. That probably meant she died giving birth to Chika right? 

Chika looked into the open kitchen door. The fuzz inside her stomach disappeared. The kitchen was normal. Cooking utensils were hooked around the room. There were two long silver tables attached to the floor in the middle of the room. The tables had sinks, stoves, fryers, and cabinets on them. At the left wall was a table with eggs and half-cut vegetables as well as a large fridge next to it. At the right wall was another table with spices and plates on it as well a microwave and a dishwasher. At the very back was a small area with a stove. 

Everything was normal. The kitchen was in orderly disarray. Her sister, Shima was on the ground with a bleeding shoulder and collarbone. The kitchen smelled foully pleasant. Her father was looking at her with his face covered in shadows. The kitchen was a cool warm temperature. Mito was dragging Shima out of the room in panic.

“Chika! Mito! Get out now!” Chika’s father shouted, charging at them. Chika inhaled a large breath as her lungs flared. She didn’t notice she had stopped breathing. Her father reached the two of them with his arms outstretched. He shoved Mito out of the doorway first. He then turned to Chika and extended an arm to push her out as well. As her father reached out for Chika, a blurred figure shot out from behind him with a claw extended. 

Chika’s dread exploded within her and transformed into something that urged Chika to move. Chika side-stepped her father’s outstretched arm and took a step toward the black figure. She grit her teeth as she cocked a fist back. It seemed faded; almost incorporeal. Chika didn’t know why she did it; but she willed her stand to materialize and overlap her torso and arm as she shot her fist forward. It connected with the figure’s face, causing it to stumble backwards. 

Chika stared at the figure as it stumbled back before she realized she could’ve attacked it more. Before she did however, her father shouted at her. Chika turned to face him. “No! You can’t touch- Ah!” Chika’s father looked at the figure who was recovering from its stumble before looking at Chika. “You… You touched it…” 

The figure shot a glare at Chika before lunging at her. Chika turned her attention to the creature and sent a right hook at it upon impulse. Her fist connected, which curved it’s trajectory to the left of Chika where it crashed onto a stove. Chika looked at the stove and got the idea to turn it on. Before Chika could do so, her father gripped her arm. 

Chika turned to look at her father’s shadowy face. “Stop! You can’t defeat it! Get out now before it-” 

Chika furrowed her brows before glancing at the figure who was recovering. A slight panic overtook her to act before it recovered again. Chika looked at her gripped arm before looking at her father. “Let go!” 

“No! I don’t know how you touched it but you can’t defeat it. You can’t defeat [Yozora wa Nandemo Shitteru no]. It’s unkillable!” Chika’s father nudged her to move. “It won’t hurt me, but it hurts everyone else! Your sister already got attacked by it and I will not allow you to be hurt too. Damn it, how could this have happened...”

“Wait...” Chika met where she thought her father’s eyes were. “Is this thing the reason why you shut yourself in the kitchen?”

“... Yes.” Chika’s father looked up at the figure as it recovered again. He pulled Chika’s arm with more force which caused Chika to move. “Shit! You need to get out of here now! It’s angry.” 

Chika’s father dragged her to the door before throwing her out of it. Chika didn’t know what compelled her to do it. Perhaps it was because of a newfound curiosity? Perhaps it was because of a righteous feeling Chika felt welling up within her? Perhaps it was because it attacked Shima? Perhaps it was just because of the adrenaline pumping through her; but as Chika’s father threw her out, Chika gained her footing, grabbed the handles of both kitchen doors, and closed them shut with her still inside. 

Chika’s father let out a low “Ah” at the action. Chika quickly locked the door behind her before walking toward the figure. The figure was completely black except for four red eyes on its face. It was about two heads taller than Chika. It’s body was like a shadow with static like waves fizzing around it. Protruding from it’s back were four appendages with sharpened tips on each of them. It’s arms hung at its side with sharpened claws as hands. It’s posture was slightly hunched and Chika could see the tiny spikes poking out from the top of its head to form a circle. 

“Chika, what are you-”

“I don’t know why you have this thing trapping you.” Chika felt light and powerful. Her dread had transformed completely. She felt strangely determined. “However, this thing is clearly evil. It is a thing that is made solely to attack with no benefit for doing so. If you’ve been holed up in here all this time just to keep this thing in check and tormented by it, causing Shima and Mito grief and unwanted responsibility, then I will free you… By killing it.”

“And I’ll be sure to make good use of…” Chika’s stand phased out in front of Chika. Chika wrapped her arms in front of it, her left up to its chest and her right down to its belly and rested her head on its left shoulder. The creature lifted its right arm up and behind Chika’s head while its left wrapped up around Chika’s left arm. “[Sunshine Story] to achieve that goal.” 

Chika remembered You’s words about her being kind. Chika doubted them but when Chika thought about it, her ability was kind. Chika remembered the feeling the nine girls on the billboard gave her. The feeling of positivity with no negativity being anywhere in the world. If “shining” meant creating a world filled with positivity; then her ability was an undeniable asset. Perhaps Chika decided to help her father purely because she wanted to help. Purely because she wanted to make her family positive. After all, how could she “shine” if she couldn’t even help her family?

Chika looked down at her club submission form. Chika was a girl who grew up having no desires and passions. Everything she tried bored her. That was until she discovered  μ's. How they shined and made the world seem devoid of negativity. For the first time, she felt a fuzz in her chest. She felt a desire. A passion.  This was a story. This was a story about how Chika shined brighter than μ's- no…  **brighter** than the ocean sun. 

Chika placed her club submission form onto a table before she ran toward the recovering figure. Her ability was the ability to absorb negativity completely. This would be bad in a fight as it would clear the enemy’s mental state. However! Since Sunshine Story could absorb all of the negativity; that leaves just the positivity. This causes the target to become dazed for at least five seconds. Chika knew exactly what she was going to do. She was going to daze the figure, and in the five seconds, kill it. 

As Chika approached the figure, it’s eyes locked onto Chika. It shot a tendril out toward Chika. Chika quickly dodged out of the way and closed the space between them. She got em. Sunshine Story launched forward with an arm outstretched and touched the figure. “Sunshine Story! Absorb all of its negativity!”

Sunshine Story tapped the figure… However, the golden strings didn’t come out of the figure. It took a moment for Chika to notice, and by the time she did, two tendrils smacked into SS’s side. Chika coughed a spit of blood as her body flung to the right into the side of a table. Her body fell to the floor like a shower towel that had its first drops of water in years. 

What just happened? Why didn’t Sunshine Story’s ability work? Was she wrong? Was Sunshine Story’s ability not absorbing negativity? No that can’t be. She was positive it’s ability was absorbing negativity, so why? Why did it not work on the figure? 

Chika looked up to check on the figure. It had recovered fully and was looking down upon Chika. Chika attempted to get up but her side flared with pain. Chika looked at the figure to see it raise a tendril. Chika should’ve known “shining” was going to be a hard goal to achieve.

 

\-- **To Be Continued** →

**A/N: This chapter took me forever. Gosh, I like forgot everything I wanted to do for this story. Don’t worry, I remembered though. I don’t think any future chapters will be as wonky as this chapter was (hopefully) so please forgive this mess xD. Anyway, onto the first stand stats of the fic.**

 

**Before we get to the stand stats though, I want to introduce my criteria for them. We all know stand stats are very vague and make about as much sense as King Crimson does so that’s why I’m just going to make what I judge stand stats more specific.**

 

**I will be judging** **_power_ ** **solely on the stand’s physical power. So even if the stand could make buildings explode with explosives, if the actual stand itself can’t lift heavy objects or punch with a lot of force; it will have a lower parameter grade despite being able to blow things up. If the stand can punch something and the force of the impact makes something explode, then its parameter grade will be an A or something like that.**

 

**I will be judging Speed based on how much time it takes for the stand’s ability to take effect. This means that even if the stand could punch really fast, if it’s ability takes a minute to take effect; it will have a lower grade.**

 

**Durability is the same. It’s very straightforward.**

 

**I will be judging precision based on how accurate the ability is and how accurate do you have to be to activate it. Accuracy of the ability will depend on how clear its effects on the world are. If Bucciarati’s Sticky Fingers could make perfect zippers that open and close perfectly, it would have an A in precision. If the zippers always came out wavy or would occasionally get stuck, it would probably have a C in precision. If I took Narancia’s Aerosmith (who has two abilities), I would grade the two abilities individually then take the median. So Aerosmith’s gun would probably get a D for being small and spraying bullets instead of concentrating them while his CO2 tracking would have a C for showing different ranges of carbon dioxide even if too much would block ability to track. I would then say Aerosmith’s precision would be a C. Precision of how to activate it depends on complexity. Sticky Fingers only has to touch something to place a zipper. I would give this a C. Aerosmith would have an A in this category of precision because of how easy it can shoot out bullets and detect CO2. If I gave Sticky Fingers a A for accuracy in ability and a C for activation, I would give it a median score of a B for precision.**

 

**Range is the same. It’s based on how far a stand can be away from its user before its power diminishes. I would say a small town’s worth of area and above will be an A. Attached to user would be E. 2-3 meters would be E too. At 15 meters, it would be a D. From there, every 20-40 meters would bring it up by one step. This one is pretty loose for me.**

 

**Potential will be judged on how much the user knows about their stand and how many uses they know for them. This one is also pretty loose for me. ACT stands will have a potential of A until they reach their final ACT.**

 

**So yeah, having said that, here’s the first stand: Sunshine Story.**

 

**Stand User: Chika Takami**

 

**Stand Name: [Sunshine Story]**

 

**Namesake: One More Sunshine Story by Chika Takami (C.V. Inami Anju)**

 

**Stand Type: Artificial Humanoid**

 

**Stand Appearance: SS is a bit special. It’s appearance changes depending on how much negativity it absorbs. At its weakest (initial), it looks like a small mouse. It has no legs and instead a short tail. Near the middle of its body are two hovering spheres that are detached from the body. SS has two small red eyes on its head which are about as large as its body. SS has no face except for the eyes. It also has a small crown floating above its head. On its torso is a small design of a tangerine slice with lines protruding from the design that form rings around its body. SS is mostly black except for the design and the lines which are a glowing orange color. As SS absorbs negativity, it will slowly grow into a humanoid about as tall as Chika. It grows facial features, legs, etc. As it grows, its tail disappears.**

 

**Stand Ability:**

**[Double Negative] - SS’s ability is the ability to absorb the negative emotions of anything that feels emotions and gain physical power from them. In order to activate this ability, the stand has to physically touch a person (can not absorb from stands). SS can only absorb as long as negative emotions are strong enough to visibly show. SS’s ability takes advantage of a principle that all creatures that feel emotion have. No matter what, there will always be a little bit of negativity or a little bit of positivity so that they do not get “overwhelmed.” However, when SS steals a person’s negativity, for five seconds, they will be overwhelmed with positivity to the point where they become “dazed.” During this five second period, they are completely vulnerable. However, after five seconds, a little bit of negativity will return to them and snap them out of their positive overdrive. When they snap out of their positive overdrive, the target will feel happy, less stressed, and “serene.” While SS absorbs all of the negative emotions, not all of the negativity will become physical power. Some of the negativity will transfer to the user. This can worsen the mood of the user. Because of this, there is a limit to the amount of negative emotions SS can take in. The limit depends on how much the user can endure before breaking down or having their emotions explode. When the user can not hold it all in anymore and explodes, that is when SS’s power reaches a peak. SS can not change its user's negative emotions into power meaning that if the owner became more negative on their own, it would lower the limit of how much negativity can be absorbed. When negativity is absorbed, wounds do not heal. SS can not transfer power and emotions to other people. Every time Chika falls asleep, SS’s power will be reset. Golden strings appear to come out of SS every time it absorbs emotions.** **  
  
**

**Stand Stats (I will only be doing the stats for SS at its introduction and SS at the end of this chapter):**

 

**Initially:**

 

**Power: E**

 

**Speed: A**

 

**Durability: E**

 

**Precision: B**

 

**Range: A (About the entire town)**

 

**Potential: A**

  
  


**Before the section with the upcoming fight:**

 

**Power: D**

 

**Speed: A**

 

**Durability: E**

 

**Precision: B**

 

**Range: B (Still pretty far but not as large as a town)**

 

**Potential: B**

 

**Trivia: This was originally going to be a wearable stand. This stand was made with the song One More Sunshine Story in mind as well as Chika’s character.**

 

**(I might do Sunshine Story’s stats again for its peak when that time comes in the story.)**

 

 

**(All stands are going to be named and made after Aqours songs. Kind of like how Araki does it.)**

  
**Out of Context Quote of the Chapter: “** Perhaps she was a delinquent who had gotten drunk and thought the ocean was a giant pool of happiness?”


End file.
